What do I need to know if I am a researcher from another institution wanting to do research on the StFX campus? (Updated March 28th, 2013)
In order to be considered at an upcoming meeting, you must have your application sumitted to Robin Amodeo, Annex 123A, by 12 p.m. one week before the meeting date. For example, if you wish to have your application reviewed at the September 20th meeting your application would be due by 12 p.m. on September 14th.
The dates of REB meetings are typically set at the beginning of the Fall and Winter terms and are dependent on the schedules of the current REB members.
For the 2011-2012 academic year, the REB met on the third Friday of every month. The schedule for upcoming meetings can be found in the menu to the left of this page under Schedule of REB Meetings.
You can find the application here (revised Feb 22nd, 2013), as well as on the Research Ethics Board homepage.
You will need to submit seven copies and at least one of them must contain original signature(s).
Your application should be submitted to Danielle MacDonald, Annex 123A or Campus Box 52. Alternatively, you can leave your application with Marion Stewart-MacDonald in the Psychology office, Annex 103.
In accordance with nre Tri-Council policy, all undergraduate projects involving reserach with human participants will have to pass through the StFX REB. The StFX REB will operate in close consultation with the Departmental, School or Program REBs so theat projects may be reviewed as efficiently as possible.
If you are intending to do research involving human participants you will likely need REB approval. If your project involves a review of existing procedures or is being conducted for quality control puposes you may not need REB approval (TCPS 2 - Article 2.5). There are some other situations where REB approval is not required (TCPS2 - Article 2.2 - 2.4) but it is best to contact the REB if you are at all uncertain about requiring ethics approval.
The following is a list of items that should be included with your application if they apply to you. Not every application will include all of the items mentioned here.
When you sumitt and application you should include, as numbered appendices, all letters of correspondance, forms, flyers etc. that are pertinent to the application. For example, if you require approval from a school or hospital to conduct research on their property, you should include the letter you sent requesting permission as well as the letter you received in response. If you have been in contact with Mi'kmaw Watch you should include that correspondance.
You are also required to include copies of Letters of Invitation (as many individual letters as are necessary for your project), Consent Forms, Assent Forms, copies of questionnaires or a list of the questions you intend to ask (to the bst of your abilities). If you intend to use flyers to attract participants, a copy should be included as well.
Yes. You can apply for ethics approval at any time. If you have applied for funding and are waiting for confirmation, you may simply indicate this on the form under the section regarding funding. If you are intending to apply for funding you can indicate this on the form as well. Once the decision on funding has been made we ask that you update this information with the REB.
If your research involves human participants you are required apply for REB approval whether or not you have funding for your research.
If you receive funding at any point after you have recieved REB approval, you are required to notify the Chair. Similarly, If your source of funding changes you are required to notify the Chair of the REB. This is done to ensure that there is no conflict of interest (either real or perceived) between the funding agency and the research at hand.
You will typically hear from the REB within one week of the meeting date with any concerns or suggestions relating to your project. You are not to start research with participants without approval from the REB so be sure to take into account the review time and the time it will take for you to address the concerns of the REB.
After the meeting, the principal investigator will receive an email letter from the chair outlining the concerns of the board. Once the PI addresses these concerns, either with changes or clarifications to the material, approval can be granted. The PI will then receive an email letter of approval from the chair, followed by a hard-copy letter signed by the chair.
Graduate students will also be issued a Certificate of REB Approval, signed by the chair, to be included with the submission of their thesis. The graduate student's supervisor will be copied on correspondance with respect to requested changes and approval.
If necessary, researchers are responsible for notifying the Research Grants Office when initial REB approval has been granted. After initial approval, the REB administrative assistant will notify the RGO after the anniversary report has been received (see "Anniversary dates" below) as to whether or not approval has been extended for another year.
Anniversary dates: You are required to submit reports to the REB on or before the anniversary date. This will be required each year following approval until the project is reported to be complete. It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to have these reports completed and submitted on time. You will be reminded of this obligation as the anniversary of original approval approaches.
If a project is not officially closed with the REB before the next anniversary date, the principal investigator will receive a Notice of Approaching Anniversary. The project can be formally declared as complete at that time.
Protocol changes: The principal investigator is obligated to inform the REB as soon as is possible with respect to protocol changes that affect the informed consent of participants (TCPS 2 - Article 3.3). In general, researchers should inform the REB of any changes to protocol.
This can include changes to the funding associated with your research. If you receive funding at any point after you have recieved REB approval, you are required to notify the Chair. Similarly, If your source of funding changes you are required to notify the Chair of the REB. This is done to ensure that there is no conflict of interest (either real or perceived) between the funding agency and the research at hand.
All protocol changes must be approved by the REB before they may be implemented.
Requests for changes in protocol can be made by contacting the REB Chair. Principal investigators should consider the changes in the levels of risk and vulnerability of the participants and how they plan to address these changes.
You may use the following email template to send an email to the Chair requesting a change in protocol. You will need to fill in the information specific to your project.
All researchers conducting research through St. FX will require approval from its REB. If you have already received approval from another REB you may qualify for an expedited review (see the next item below). All projects approved outside of St. FX will be reviewed by the St. FX REB Chair before ethics approval will be granted. In some cases, you may be asked to provide additional information to what you have provided in your request.
Please contact Danielle MacDonald for more information.
All researchers conducting research through St. FX will require approval from its REB. If you have already received approval from another REB you may qualify for an expedited review. All projects approved outside of the St. FX REB will be reviewed by the St. FX REB Chair before approval will be granted. In some cases, you may be asked to provide additional information to what you have provided in your request.
If you think you may qualify for an expedited review please send an email to the REB Chair (Leona English, see email template below) with a formal request. Several documents should be attached to your email. These include a copy of the application that has been approved by another institution, letters of approval from the institution and any other relevant REBs and letters of support from any relevant parties. Copies of documentation may also be sent as hard copies to Xavier Hall 120C or Campus Box 52.
You may use the following email template to send and email to the Chair requesting an expedited review. You will need to fill in the information specific to your project.
Please contact Danielle MacDonald for more information.
All PI's from other institutions are asked to contact the StFX REB before conducting research on StFX campus (TCPS2 - Article 8.3(b)). You will require approval from the StFX REB before contacting research participants.
You should contact Leona English (StFX REB Chair) with any documentation you currently have relating to approval from your home institution.
Also, as a courtesy to our institution you might consider seeking administrative approval from our Academic Vice-President, Dr. Mary McGillivray, to be on campus and conduct research involving members of our campus community. This is not an official requirement, but rather a suggestion as to how you might proceed.
