ÌÇÐÄvlog¾«Æ·

Research Involving Human Participants Policy

Approver:
Academic Coordinating Committee
Policy Owner:
Vice President, Research
Policy Lead(s):
Research Data & Policy Analyst
Effective date:
2025-04-23
Date of last approval:
2025-04-23
Status:
Approved

Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy is to establish the principles that govern all research involving human participants conducted with ÌÇÐÄvlog¾«Æ· Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Conestoga).

Scope

This policy applies to all research involving human participants conducted at Conestoga, with Conestoga, or that uses Conestoga resources.

Activities that appear to involve human participants may be outside the scope of this policy if they fall under the following categories:
  • Research involving a public figure, based solely on publicly available information.
  • Quality assurance studies, performance reviews, institutional research, and testing within normal educational requirements.
  • Research involving the observation of participants who can be expected to engage in public activity while seeking public visibility (e.g., protests, rallies, public meetings).

Definitions

ÌÇÐÄvlog¾«Æ· maintains a glossary of terms specific to the institution. The ones in use for this document are defined below.

Quality Assurance Studies
The systematic review of processes, products, services, or systems to ensure that required standards are met.
Research
An undertaking intended to extend knowledge through a disciplined inquiry or systematic investigation.
Research Ethics Board (REB)
A body of researchers, community members, and others with specific expertise (e.g., in ethics, in relevant research disciplines) established by an institution to review the ethical acceptability of all research involving humans conducted withing the institution’s jurisdiction or under its auspices.

Policy

General Principles

  1. All research involving human participants will be guided by the following principles, as described by the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2 2022):
    1. Respect for persons
    2. Concern for welfare
    3. Justice
  2. Conestoga will create and maintain a Research Ethics Board (REB) to review and approve the ethical acceptability of research involving human participants. The details of how researchers can seek ethical approval through the REB are covered in the
  3. Conestoga's policies, procedures, standards and guidelines are binding upon all researchers. The lead researcher is responsible for ensuring these policies, procedures, standards and guidelines are followed.
  4. All research that involves living human participants and research involving human biological materials (including those from cadavers) require review and approval by the REB before the research is started.
  5. Nothing in this policy should be interpreted as relieving a researcher of any obligations they have acquired due to their membership in a professional association; however, following a professional code of ethics where they normally would apply does not fulfil the obligation to adhere to the procedures outlined here. The REB created to implement this policy has discretion when applying the TCPS 2 2022 principles, provided that the basic principles of the policy are not compromised.
  6. The REB Terms of Reference will govern the processes of the REB.

Relevant Legislation and Related Documents

Relevant legislation

Related documents

Revision Log

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​2023-06-29​Revisions to policy content to align with changes to blank policy. Approving Authority – Approved
​2025-04-23​Academic Coordinating Committee
Research Involving Human Participants Policy