Saint Mary's University Research Ethics Board                                            Electronic Submission for Post-approval Requests!

                                                                                                                                     See the "Forms" page.           

                                                                                                                                     Upcoming Informal Education Session:

                                                                                                                                     "Understanding the Research Ethics Review Process"

                                                                                                                                     Request a Session for your class.

                                                                                                                                     See our "Education" page for details and updates.      

Welcome to the website of the Saint Mary's University Research Ethics Board. The Government of Canada's Panel on Research Ethics (PRE) created the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2) and requires that all faculty, student and staff research proposals that involve human participants and fall under the TCPS 2 be brought before the REB for review and approval. The Board consists primarily of faculty members who work with researchers to apply the TCPS 2. The REB provides a service to the University community by working with researchers to identify and resolve ethical issues in their research in order to protect the interests of research participants, maximize the benefits of the research and minimize harms. The REB is empowered to approve, reject, propose modifications to, suspend or terminate research activity that involve human participants and that fall under the jurisdiction of Saint Mary's University. Please note that the electronic version of the TCPS 2 is the official version of the Policy.  The TCPS 2 replaced the 1st edition of the TCPS on November 29, 2010. The electronic version is accessible via the Government of Canada: Panel on Research Ethics website: http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/eng/index/ Compliance with this policy is a requirement of the NSERC, the SSHRC and the CIHR for the funding of all research activities involving human subjects.  However, whether a research is funded or unfunded, in order to obtain a Saint Mary's University Certificate of Ethical Acceptability for Research Involving Humans, the research must comply with the policies and guidelines of the: 1.  Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2)      http://www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/pdf/eng/tcps2/TCPS_2_FINAL_Web.pdf 2.  Saint Mary's University Senate http://www.smu.ca/policy/welcome.html 3.  Saint Mary's University Research Ethics Board http://www.smu.ca/academic/reb/ The REB advises all prospective applicants to read the Tri-Council Policy Statement and complete the TCPS 2 Course on Research Ethics (CORE) Online Tutorial . The tutorial will help applicants familiarize themselves with the TCPS and consider their research in this light.  The tutorial can be found at http://tcps2core.ca/welcome.

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Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. On average, the review process (from initial submission until final approval) takes 4-6 weeks. The process may take longer during busier times of the academic year (typically, October and February). The review process for applications that require a full review by the Board may take 6-8 weeks.

For more information, please  see the “Frequently Asked Questions” link or to better understand how policies relate to your research feel free to contact the Office of Research Ethics at ethics@smu.ca or 420-5728.

We seek to improve our procedures for implementing this policy and appreciate comments and recommendations you may have.

REMINDER

No research with human participants shall begin before approval is received from the University's Research Ethics Board.

Research protocols must have a valid Certificate of Acceptability/Continuation for Research Involving Humans.