About Research Ethics

Selkirk College is committed to research and recognizes research as a valuable activity for professional development and for the enhancement and enrichment of learning experiences.

The College is committed to conducting research involving human participants in an ethical manner in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2), which is a joint policy of Canada’s three federal research agencies.

The Research Ethics Board (REB) is made up of individuals from within and outside of the college community, as mandated by the TCPS 2.

Board Members

• Alyssa Franklin
• Jonathan Buttle
• Tracey Harvey 
• Ashley Engel
• Sargent Hayden (Co-Chair)
• Lauren Rethoret (Co-Chair)
• Sue Hackett (External)
• Jonathan Vanderhoek
• Brendan Wilson
• Amy Byers (Administrative Support)

Submission Deadlines

• February 13 (February 18 meeting)
• March 11 (March 18 meeting)
• April 8 (April 15 meeting)
• May 13 (May 20 meeting)
• June 10 (June 17 meeting)

You will receive a response to your proposal from the Board approximately two weeks after the submission deadline. Typically, a review will take an average of a month from time of submission, so timing of research should be planned accordingly.

Submission Steps & Review Procedure

1. Review of Selkirk Policy #8705: Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans is recommended.
2. If you are an investigator involved in a study (including student researchers), then you must complete the Tri Council Policy Statement 2 Core Tutorial (TCPS2 Core: Tutorial) which takes 3-4 hours. Submit your Certificate of Completion with your application TCPS2 Core: Tutorial.
3. If you require help with ethics, please contact a Research Ethics Board Mentor.
4. Complete an electronic copy of the required forms (the Research Ethics Application Risk Screening Tool, Form A, B.1 and/or B.2) which must be sent by email to the administrative contact (see below) by the submission deadline (see dates above). Completed forms are expected to be of academic quality and will be returned if substandard. REB ethics mentors and sample applications can be found in forms. Instructors who are having 1st or 2nd year students conduct research for pedagogical purposes please read section 5 below.
   1. Form A - Application for Research must be filled/signed by the Principal Investigator, signed by the School Chair and sent to the administrative contact along with the Research Ethics Application Risk Screening Tool. 
   2. For pre-approved applications from another institution, please click Pre-Approved Application Instructions for further information. 
5. Course-Based Research - Instructors who are having first or second year students conduct research projects for pedagogical purposes, should first read the Course Based Research Application Information and fill out Form C Research Application. Instructors may choose to have their students fill in Form D Student Application for Research in 1st and 2nd Year Courses.
6. The Committee will review the research application at the scheduled meeting and the Chair will respond to the applicant in a timely manner.
7. Reporting: Principal Investigators must submit a Final Report on research activities within one month of study completion. An Annual Report is also required for multi-year studies. All reports are to be submitted to the administrative contact.
8. Changes to a study need to be submitted on an Amendment Form. The amendment needs to be approved prior to the researcher making the change in their research process.