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Research Ethics

Course based research

The course-based research application and procedures have changed. Please carefully read the following information.

The application for course designations has been replaced with an application for course-based research projects. There are some significant changes to be aware of but most requirements will remain the same. This application form is only for course instructors.

  • Courses now only receive approval for one year but may be renewed up to 6 times with a simple renewal form.
  • They will all expire on August 31 regardless of when the initial application was approved.
  • Research completed in courses may now be presented to the community partner that was involved in the research.
  • The course-based consent template must be used.
  • The form has been made simpler and new applications no longer require full board review.

Please review the course-based project guidelines for more information. 

Your course may be eligible for a course-based research application if you are teaching about research methods or the course has a research assignment. This type of approval requires the instructor to provide review, approval, oversight, and supervision of the student research. These projects should have some uniformity and limits.

Research completed as part of a course that is approved in this way cannot be published in an academic journal or presented at an academic conference as the primary purpose of this approval is pedagogical (TCPS2 Article 6.12) and the review of these projects has been delegated to non-HREB members and/or outside of the HREB.

NOTE: Course-based research applications are not permitted for directed studies or honours courses.

Instructors may wish to have students complete this form when creating their projects to use for their own records - this is not an HREB requirement and is meant as a tool to help instructors.