Ethics Review

Research ethics review is intended to protect human participants and animal subjects by minimizing the harms or risks to which they are exposed during research activities.

What is "research"?

Research means an undertaking intended to extend knowledge through a disciplined inquiry or systematic investigation. Some knowledge generating activities are not research.

The Research Ethics Office makes the final determination as to whether or not ethics review is required for a study; if there are any questions about whether or not review is required, please contact REO before commencing your research.

When is ethics review required?

Does your project involve collecting input and/or information from people (responses, reactions, measurements, opinions, experiences) or input collected by someone else, including in person, online, in writing, over the phone or by any other means?

Does your project involve the use of human biological materials? Did the sample come from a human body?

Does your project involve using data about people previously collected by someone else (eg. student records, commercial records)?

Does your project involve the collection or use of health information, as defined in the Health Information Act?

Does your project involve animals?

Are you collaborating with someone who is doing any of the above?

If Yes to any of the above, call REO. You may need ethics approval.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA RESEARCH ETHICS REQUIREMENTS apply to all staff and students conducting research in connection with the University,

anywhere on-campus or off, regardless of location
in person or by mail, telephone or online
regardless of the type of research (eg. experimental, correlational, qualitative, descriptive, pilot project or a fully formed study)
whether the results are intended for publication or not

Failure to obtain and maintain ethics approval is noncompliance, which will result in an allegation of misconduct under the Research and Scholarship Integrity Policy, and the immediate suspension of access to funds.

HUMAN PARTICIPANT RESEARCH

“Human participants” are those individuals whose data, or responses to interventions, stimuli or questions by the researcher, are relevant to answering the research question.

Research Ethics Board (REB) review and approval is required for research involving:

living human participants
human biological materials*
human embryos, fetuses, fetal tissue, reproductive materials and stem cells*

*This applies to materials derived from living and deceased individuals.

ANIMAL USE

“Animals” are defined by the University Animal Ethics Policy as any living non-human vertebrate and any living invertebrate of the class of cephalopoda, including free-living and reproducing larval forms.

Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) review and approval is required for research, teaching and testing involving:

living non-human vertebrates
living invertebrates of class cephalopoda
that is CCAC Category of Invasiveness B or higher

Teaching, testing and research using animals and carried out by University staff and students or using University resources or facilities must be approved by an Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC).

Any and all questions about whether ethics approval is required for a project, how to use the online system, which committee should review your application and how to get your study approved should be directed to the Research Ethics Office.

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