Brock University is committed to the responsible and ethical conduct of human participant 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).

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 these REBs prior to the start of the project. Note, this also includes course-based research assigned to, or undertaken by, students for pedagogical purposes and/or course credit.

As such, human participant research conducted by, or associated with, a member of the Brock University community (including but not limited to, faculty members, graduate students, undergraduate students, adjunct professors, professor emeriti, or staff), that will in any way make reference to an affiliation with Brock, or use the resources (financial, physical, or human) of the University, requires clearance from a Brock University REB. This applies regardless of the members’ contribution or the location of the research site.

Brock University has two REB panels:

• the Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (HREB) which reviews all applications from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, and
• the Social Science Research Ethics Board (SREB) which reviews applications from all other academic units.

Brock’s 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 the TCPS2. As such, a REB may accept, reject, or request modifications to any proposed or ongoing research that is subject to REB review, pursuant to Brock standards. The 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.

The Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS) provides guidance on whether REB review is required. The TCPS also stipulates that when in doubt, researchers should consult their REB.

Basic guidelines for determining whether research requires REB review

If you think your research is exempt from REB review, please contact the Office of Research Ethics to confirm and the Office can provide you with a letter of exemption.

All Brock Graduate students involved in human participant research must complete the TCPS2: Course on Research Ethic (CORE). Confirmation of training, in the form of a certificate of completion provided by the platform, must be attached to research ethics applications where a graduate student is part of the research team, regardless of their role. It is highly recommended that all student and faculty researchers engaged in research involving human participants, complete the CORE tutorial. Many Canadian institutions have policies in place that make its completion mandatory for all researchers named on a project.

Brock University REBs have a sub-committee specific to Indigenous research that advises both boards on matters of cultural

protocols, history, and tradition. If you are conducting research including or related to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples please refer to TCPS 2 (2022) – Chapter 9: Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples of Canada for guidance and contact the ORE at [email protected] for additional support. This applies to both primary and secondary use of data.

Brock faculty must apply for ethics clearance for all research projects that they are involved in, even if the research takes place at a different institution. This is called a “Previously Approved” application.

To apply for ethics review from Brock when a project already has ethics clearance from another institution, submit a regular ethics application, with only Section A, items 1 through 7 filled out, to [email protected]. Attach the approved application from the home institution, with all corresponding documents (research protocol, recruitment and consent materials, questionnaires, measures etc.). Include the home institution’s clearance certificate, and any modifications (if applicable) and their respective clearance certificates. Note that failure to obtain clearance from Brock may be a breach of the Tri-Agency Framework: Responsible Conduct of Research (2021).

The turn-around time for Previously Approved applications is approximately 10-15 working days.

New faculty members are strongly encouraged to contact the Research Ethics Board (REB) for assistance in applying for ethics clearance under Brock’s auspices and jurisdiction. Existing projects must be submitted to the Brock REB for review as soon as possible upon arrival.