Human Research Ethics Board
The Saint Mary's University Research Ethics Board (REB) is a committee mandated to review and clear research proposals that involve human participants. The research proposal must meet the definition of “research” under the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Human Participants (TCPS 2) in order to be eligible for the review requirement otherwise may be considered exempt from the clearance requirement. The Board consists of faculty, staff and graduate student members as well as from members of the HRM community.
Our Role
In order to ensure that university research involving human participants is carried out in an ethical manner, the TCPS 2 requires that each university establish a Research Ethics Board (REB) to review and clear research involving humans.
The Saint Mary's Research Ethics Board (REB):
- Is an elected committee of and reports regularly to the Academic Vice President of Research;
- Consists of faculty members, staff and graduate students knowledgeable in research on human participants, persons knowledgeable in ethics, and members of the wider community;
- Meets regularly to review all research conducted at Saint Mary's University or by members of Saint Mary's University that involve human participants;
- Is empowered to clear, reject, propose modifications to, suspend, or terminate research projects that fall under the jurisdiction of Saint Mary's University;
- Certifies to the Tri-Councils that research at Saint Mary's University involving human participants is carried out in an ethical manner;
- Provides initial and continuing research ethics review throughout the lifecycle of research projects, thereby providing Certificates of Research Ethics Clearance, Certificates of Continuation for Research Involving Humans to regular required Annual Status Reports, review and clearance for Requests to Changes to Cleared Research, New Information and Unanticipated Issues Reports, and End of Study Reports, officially closing research projects upon their completion.
For more information, including forms, policies, guidelines and frequently asked questions, please visit the Human Research Ethics Board website.