Faculty of Arts Intranet - ethics

Ethics
Human Research Ethics

All research involving human participants conducted by University of Alberta staff or students must be reviewed and approved by a University Research Ethics Board (REB) before the research starts. Ethics approval is valid for up to one year at a time and must be maintained for the duration of the human participant research activity. Using a proportionate review process, the REBs ensure that individual research projects involving human participants, identifiable data and/or human biological material meet the requirements of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct of Research Involving Humans 2nd edition and University policy as well as provincial, federal and other legislation and regulations.

There are five Research Ethics Boards or Panels serving researchers at the University of Alberta, Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health. Each of these REBs specializes in particular research methods and participant issues associated with those methods.

The new Human Research Ethics Policy and Procedures were approved by the Board of Governors on February 11, 2011 and came into effect on May 11, 2011 and information is available on UAPPOL. Under the new policy, the University will establish the Research Ethics Board Oversight Committee, as well as University-level Research Ethics Boards which are described below.
Board

Research methods/key words

REB 1 will review research that primarily involves in-person interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, or community engagement Observational, interviews, ethnography, auto-ethnography, community based, focus group, iterative, participatory action research, vulnerable or protected populations, community involvement, aboriginal, international, qualitative research
REB 2 will review research that primarily concerns privacy, confidentiality and survey methods

Privacy, data-sharing, surveys, questionnaires, anonymity, confidentiality, FOIPP, privacy assessment, secondary use of data, data linkage, longitudinal studies, internet research, personally identifying information, industry research panels
REB 3 will review research that primarily involves interventions (behavioural, psychological, educational, and training)

Interventions, multi-methods, education, learning, training, uptake, changing outcomes, behavioral change, experimental design, performance improvement, knowledge to action, organizational change

Health Research Ethics Board

(formed by agreement between the University of Alberta, Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health) HREB serves researchers from Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health and the University of Alberta

Biomedical Panel reviews all invasive health research where the researcher will access health information (as defined in the Health Information Act of Alberta) OR conduct the research within Alberta Health Services or Covenant Health facilities.

Health Panel - Reviews all non-invasive health research where the researcher will access health information (as defined in the Health Information Act of Alberta) OR conduct the research within Alberta Health Services or Covenant Health facilities


The Human Ethics Research Online (HERO) system automates the review process for human subject research through an online application form which will be routed electronically for required reviews and approvals. All research ethics applications reviewed at the University of Alberta must be submitted using the HERO system.

HERO (Human Research Ethics Online) (https://hero.ualberta.ca)

Research Ethics Office (http://www.reo.ualberta.ca)