Procedure for Review of Ethics Applications

Faculty Members should submit their applications for ethics review directly to the Research Ethics Board that has jurisdiction over the type of the type of research they propose to conduct. Note that although the Faculty of Communication and Culture comes under the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB), your particular protocol may have to be reviewed by a different Research Ethics Board, such as the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board. Faculty members may consult the following site for further information: Ethics Review Procedure Flow Chart for Faculty Members

STUDENTS:

Graduate Students should submit their applications for ethics review directly to the Research Ethics Board that has jurisdiction over the type of the type of research they propose to conduct. Note that although the Faculty of Communication and Culture comes under the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB), your particular protocol may have to be reviewed by a different Research Ethics Board, such as the Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board.

Undergraduate Students will have to submit individual ethics application form (original and three copies) to the faculty ethics committee for review. The Committee will review the application and provide feedback to the student, within a week and a half. If there are any concerns, the student will be advised to address them, and then send a revised copy of the application to SS 222. The Faculty Committee will grant approval, if it is satisfied with the application.

Note: All undergraduate student protocols should be submitted to the Main Communication and Culture Office in Room SS110.

In cases where projects involve more than minimal risk, the approval process is different. All students must send their protocol to the faculty committee, which will pass it on to the CFREB. The CFREB may review the protocol in a face-to-face meeting with the applicant(s) and then make a decision.

Note: research must not involve minors as participants without obtaining informed consent from parents or guardians. If research takes place through a school, school board ethics approval must be sought months in advance.

For further information about the review process, see: Ethics Review Procedure Flow Chart for Students

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics Committee can only approve undergraduate student research that presents no more than "minimal risk" to participants. If the research involves more than minimal risk, the student’s application must be forwarded to the CFREB (Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board) for further review. See U of C Research Ethics "Information to Help Applicants", section 3.0 for a definition of minimal risk: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/documents/ethics_info_applicants.doc

Undergraduate student research must not involve deception of participants.

If research involves a class field trip, please see "Liability" at http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/departments/RISK/riskmgmt/riskmgmt/questions.html

If students must travel to engage in research, please see this research travel document from Risk Management http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/departments/RISK/riskmgmt/riskmgmt/checklist-final.pdf
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(Last updated May 2, 2007)