Brock University is committed to the responsible and ethical conduct of research.
The fundamental imperative of research involving human participants is encapsulated in three core principles: respect for persons, concern for welfare, and justice. To this end, Brock University endorses and adheres to the principles set out in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2022) as approved and amended by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
The Office of Research Ethics (ORE) is responsible for the ethical oversight of research involving human participants and provides centralized administrative and educational functions related to research ethics review.
Brock University Research Ethics Boards (REBs)
Brock University has two REBs:
- Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (HREB) which reviews all applications from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, and
- Social Science Research Ethics Board (SREB) which reviews applications from all other academic units.
A sub-committee specific to Indigenous research advises both boards on matters of cultural protocols, history, and tradition. If you are conducting research including or related to Indigenous Peoples of Canada please refer to TCPS 2 (2022) – Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada and contact the ORE at [email protected] for additional support.
All human participant research, whether funded or non-funded, conducted under the auspices and/or jurisdiction of Brock must undergo review and receive ethics clearance from one of Brock’s REBs prior to the start of the project. This applies regardless of the Brock members’ contribution or the location of the research site and includes research conducted by faculty, staff and/or students, as well as course-based research undertaken by students for pedagogical purposes and/or course credit.
If your research involves collaborative partnerships among researchers from multiple institutions, either within Canada or internationally, special considerations apply as outlined in TCPS2 (2022) Chapter 8: Multi-Jurisdictional Research. For information on multi-jurisdictional research requirements, contact the ORE at [email protected].
APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESSES FOR HUMAN PARTICIPANT RESEARCH
At present, the REB and ORE are functioning at full capacity. Please be sure to check here for any posted changes to service (holidays, university closures, etc.) and plan your submissions accordingly.
REB Submission Notice: Please note that due to the holiday closure, REB submissions received after December 11, 2024, will be processed January 2, 2025. For further information, contact [email protected].
Researchers can apply directly to the Office of Research Ethics by emailing submissions to [email protected]. Research Ethics applications must include an assessment of potential risks to participants, and where relevant, detail any risk-mitigation strategies to be implemented.
Turn-around time (from submission to first decision) for minimal risk projects is approximately 15-20 working days. Projects posing greater than minimal risk are reviewed at pre-scheduled, monthly meetings. In accordance with Canadian guidelines and Brock policy, the REB may require modifications to research or suspend research where participant or researcher welfare is at stake.
About Brock’s Research Ethics Boards (REBs)
Brock’s Research Ethics Boards (REBs) are empowered to ensure that all research involving humans conducted under the auspices or within the jurisdiction of Brock University is ethical, and is conducted in accordance with this policy. As such, a REB may accept, reject, or propose modifications to any proposed or ongoing research that is subject to REB review, pursuant to Brock standards. A REB also has the authority to suspend any ongoing research under its purview that is deemed to pose an unacceptable risk of harm to participants or in which the principal researcher has not complied with Brock University policies and procedures related to the ethical conduct of research involving humans. A decision of a REB to disallow research on ethical grounds, unless reversed on reconsideration by that REB, may only be reversed through the REB appeal process. Decisions shall be final and binding in all respects for any appeal of an REB decision.
The Brock University Office of Research Ethics (ORE) provides centralized administration associated with the REBs and the research ethics operation at Brock, and develops and delivers educational programs and materials to Brock students, staff, and faculty involved in human research.
Brock University has two Research Ethics Boards:
The Health Science Research Ethics Board (HREB) is responsible for ethics review and policy development related to research from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences including the following departments:
- Health Sciences
- Kinesiology
- Nursing
- Recreation & Leisure
- Sport Management
The Social Science Research Ethics Board (SREB) is responsible for ethics review and policy development related to research involving human participants from all other Faculties:
- Goodman School of Business
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Humanities
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Mathematics & Science
- Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts
Below is a list of the major forms and templates that may need to be completed before proceeding with research involving humans. For further information or if you have questions, contact [email protected] or call 905-688-5550, x3035.
- Application for Ethics Review
- Application for Human Tissue Research
- Application for Secondary Use of Data
- Application for Course-based Research (Faculty only)
- Annual Renewal/Final Report
- Guidelines for Conducting Research as a Course Assignment
- Guidelines for Multi-Jurisdictional Research
- Guidelines for Online/Internet Research
- Guidelines for Phlebotomy
- Guidelines for Protocols Involving Deception
- Guidelines for Research Participation of Individuals Under Age 18
- Guidelines for Secondary Use of Data
- Guidelines for Student Research Participation for Course Credit
- Informed Consent Letter Checklist
- Letter of Invitation Checklist
- REB Guideline – Definition of a Research Team
- REB Guideline – Functioning of REO and REB During Unforeseen Circumstances
- REB Guideline – Meetings, Quorum and Attendance
- REB Guideline – Minor and Substantive Changes to Research with REB Clearance
- REB Standard – Confidentiality
- REB Standard – Eligibility to Serve as a Principal Investigator
- REB Standard – Responsibilities of Faculty Supervisors and Student Researchers
- Revision or Modification to an Ongoing Application
- Standard for Maximum Number of Annual Renewals
- Standard for Minimum Risk Research Involving Alcohol Consumption
- SOP 01: Saliva Collection
- SOP 02: Finger Prick Blood Sampling
- SOP 03: Phlebotomy – Blood Sampling From the Arm by Venipuncture
- SOP 04: VO2 Max testing
- SOP 06: Colour Vision and Hearing Testing
- SOP 07: Surface EMG
- SOP 09: Rectal Temperature Measurements
- Template: General Statement of Confidentiality
- Template: Consent form
- Template: Letter of Invitation
- The TCPS 2 Tutorial: Course on Research Ethics (CORE)
- Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2018)
- Venipuncture Information Sheet
Contact us
Office of Research Ethics
Lori Walker
Manager, Research Ethics
[email protected]
General Enquiries
[email protected]
Health Science Research (HREB)
Carly MaGee (on leave)
Research Ethics Officer, Health Sciences (HREB)
[email protected]
Arya Mendonca
Research Ethics Officer, Health Sciences (HREB)
[email protected]
Social Science Research (SREB)
Alyssa Bax
Research Ethics Officer, Social Sciences (SREB)
[email protected]