Research Ethics

Mandaory Research Ethics Training

One of the first things you need to do, before you can work with any research studies in NCIL, is complete research ethics training. This is called TCPS CORE 2, and you do it online via this link: https://tcps2core.ca/welcome

Once you have successfully completed the training, you will received a certificate. Send this to Cindy ([e-mail]) so we have a record of your certification.

As you will learn, research ethics is serious business. This training isn't just a box you need to check, it's really important that you understand the core principles of research ethics, including respecting research participants and protecting their privacy.

Research Ethics for your Study

Virtually every research study done in or through the lab requires review and approval from a Research Ethics Board (REB). The majority of NCIL protocols go through Dalhousie's REB, however studies run at the IWK or QEII/CDHA (typically fMRI studies in our case) must go through the ethics board of that institution (Dalhousie's REB recognizes these boards and does not require that studies approved by them also go through the Dal REB).

REB applications are quite extensive and you should expect to spend many hours on one. However, they are very important, and force you to consider many important things, e.g., about the design and details of your experiment, how you will manage data and protect people's privacy, etc.. It's also important to know that Dalhousie's REB only meets once per month to review submissions, so there is a monthly deadline by which you need to submit your application - or the start of your study will be delayed by at least a month.

You should become familiar with the Dal REB page, which is where you can download forms and template documents (always work from the templates they provide; don't copy and modify a previously-approved submission for a different study, because the forms change regularly), as well as seeing the monthly deadlines for submission.

All REB submissions must be reviewed and approved by Aaron prior to submission; in general, Aaron will serve as the PI (principal investigator) on NCIL REB submissions, although in rare cases a student may submit as PI - but even for those submissions, Aaron needs to approve them as supervisor.