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Research Ethics

Research involving humans as subjects is essential to advancing knowledge, understanding, and human welfare. Such research is a critical aspect of the work of Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (CCITAL) and its academic programs. College researchers are profoundly grateful to those who volunteer to participate as subjects and make research possible. Balanced against the need for research is a moral imperative to conduct human research in an ethical manner that both respects human dignity and requires that the welfare and integrity of the individual remains paramount.

All research involving human subjects must receive ethical approval from the College Research Ethics Board (REB) prior to commencement. This includes all College research projects, whether funded or unfunded, and all research conducted by external organizations when the research involves the use of College facilities or equipment. Please note that as of September, 2011, all course-based student research projects involving human subjects also require ethics approval. All researchers must also seek institutional approval from the appropriate CCITAL department. Researchers external to Conestoga College must have a Locally Responsible Investigator (i.e. a Conestoga staff or faculty member).

It is strongly recommended that researchers complete the free, online TCPS2 training available from the Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics (PRE) Course on Research Ethics in both English and French. Once all modules have been completed, you will be issued a certificate of completion which can be forwarded to the Research Ethics Coordinator ( rebcoordinator@conestogac.on.ca) along with your application. Effective September 1, 2012, completion of this online TCPS2 ethical training will be a requirement before submitting an ethics application to the CCITAL Research Ethics Board.

The Research Ethics Board exists to ensure that all research conducted at the College meets the highest ethical standard. The REB review process is designed to ensure that: