Research Ethics
This page contains information to assist faculty and students in obtaining approvals to conduct research that involves humans, animals, and biohazards. All Ethics Application Forms (Human, Animal, and Biohazard) are accessible through the Romeo software system. Please click here for more information on Romeo.
Wondering where to start?
See our Ethics FAQ
Research Ethics Workshops
Research Ethics & REB Processes for First-time Researchers
Date: November 25, 2024
Time: from 2 - 4 p.m.
Location: OLARA Research Hub
RSVP: No registration required. The event is open to the public.
About
Calling Undergraduate Research Experience Award (UREAP) receipients, Bachelor of lnterdisclipinary Studies students, honours students, directed studies students, Knowledge Makers, and graduate students, and all others conducting primary research with people for the first time.
This research ethics information session is for you. We'll discuss registering for ROMEO; the importance of the Tri-Council Policy Statement, Core Tutorial, and the Secwepemc Nation Research Ethics Guidelines; and key participant documents including invitations to participate and consent forms. REB members will answer your questions about preparing your very first ethics applications.
Presenters
Rebecca Sanford, PhD, RCSW Associate Professor of Social Work, Research Ethics Board Member
Melba D'Souza, PhD Associate Professor of Nursing, Research Ethics Board Member
Jennifer Shaw, PhD Assistant Professor of Sociology, Research Ethics Board Acting Chair
The Review Process and Approximate Timelines for Minimal Risk Research
The REB’s goal is to provide a review to researchers within four weeks. This feedback will be sent to you through ROMEO. It will include instructions on how to revise and resubmit your application form based on the review/feedback. After you have re-submitted your application, if items are still outstanding, then the REB will request further revisions and clarifications. If no further clarification or revisions are required, then the REB will send you a Letter of Approval, and you can begin contacting human participants for data collection.
The time to obtain certification depends on several factors including volume of REB applications under review at the time. Reviews tend to take a little longer during peak periods such as September/October, and during vacation seasons such as August and over Christmas. Please keep this in mind as you plan your research project.
How do I submit an REB application in ROMEO?
Checklist of materials to include with your application
- Informed consent form. Please use this checklist to ensure that your consent form includes all the necessary information. Incomplete consent forms will be returned to you for completion.
- TCPS 2 Certificate of Completion
- Recruitment scripts such as: email script, poster, social media post, telephone script … word-for-word what you will say when you initiate contact with potential participants.
- Data collection tools such as: survey, questionnaire, interview questions, focus group discussion guide.
- Official letters of support to work with communities and organizations such as Indigenous communities and school districts. Please note that official letters of support come on letters with the organization’s letterhead. Email would not suffice.
- It may be appropriate for you to obtain a confidentiality agreement such as from your research assistants or from participants of focus groups, transcriptionists, and other circumstances. Please revise the following as needed for your study:
- Supervisor declaration. All student research must be supervised by a TRU faculty member. Supervisors must sign a declaration that states they have read and approve the submission of their student's application for review by the REB. REB review of student research will begin only after this declaration is attached to the romeo file.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Submitting an Application in Romeo
Follow this link to create your account in Romeo: Romeo Research Portal
To submit a new application form:
- Log into your account
- Click on Apply New in the top-right corner of your screen
- Click on the appropriate application form
- Most of the time you will need to complete the form called: 2024 — Human Research Ethics — Application Form
- Classroom project form is for TRU professors to complete when:
- A class assignment requires students to collect data from people in the community. This includes
anyone and everyone outside the classroom. Data collection includes:
- Interviews, surveys, focus groups
- Writing about or taking notes from observations of people
- Making any kind of contact with people outside of the classroom
- A class assignment requires students to collect data from people in the community. This includes
anyone and everyone outside the classroom. Data collection includes:
- Go through the first three tabs and answer all the questions.
- The fourth tab, Attachments, is where you can attach:
- TCPS2 certificate(s)
- Consent form
- Data collection tools such as surveys
- Letter of support from partners
- Recruitment materials
- Signed Supervisor Declaration Form
- The errors tab on the right will inform you of anything that you missed.
Here are some links to TRU supported tools for your data. They may or may not come in handy for your project. They are particularly relevant to the questions about data security that the REB ask:
- TRU survey monkey subscription through IT Services
- TRU data repository - Borealis through TRU library
- Data security tools through IT services
- sync.com - alternative to drop-box that follows Canadian privacy laws through the Privacy and Access Office
TRU logo for participant facing materials like the consent form
- The fourth tab, Attachments, is where you can attach:
- If you are a student, please ensure that:
- Your supervisor has an account in Romeo
- b. They have been added to the second tab called “Project Team Info”
- Scroll to the very bottom of the tab “project team info”
- Click “add new” and search for their profile and click “save”
Note:
Students must have a supervisor to conduct research at any university. If your supervisor is not entered in this tab then, unfortunately, the REB cannot approve the application (until a supervisor has approved it) The supervisor must declare that they have read and approved the application form.
- Scroll to the very bottom of the tab “project team info”
- Click “SUBMIT”
- Please note that only the Principal Investigator (PI) will have a submit button available on their
screen. This is to ensure that only the PI can submit an application and/or changes to an application.
This is because the PI is responsible for the ethics of the research protocol. Other project personnel
including students can edit a file. But only the person with the oversight can submit, which in Romeo is
a form of approval and verification.
- Please note that only the Principal Investigator (PI) will have a submit button available on their
screen. This is to ensure that only the PI can submit an application and/or changes to an application.
This is because the PI is responsible for the ethics of the research protocol. Other project personnel
including students can edit a file. But only the person with the oversight can submit, which in Romeo is
a form of approval and verification.
- ROMEO will require that you comment before you can submit. Unless you have something to say, anything will do. I usually just enter.
Congratulations! You have successfully submitted your REB application. The REBs goal is to have feedback to you in four weeks. Then you can revise and resubmit your application based on that feedback. Then the REB will review your revisions. If outstanding items remain then the REB will address those with you again, until your application is finally approved.
If you have any further questions, then please do not hesitate to contact the REB: TRU-REB@tru.ca 250-852-7122.
Animal Care Committee
Submission Deadline: Continuous Intake
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) regards the use of animals in research, teaching, testing and production as a privilege and not a right. All individuals involved in the use of animals for research, teaching, testing and production must care for their animals in compliance with the TRU Animal Care Committee (TRU-ACC) protocols, the Canadian Council for Animal Care (CCAC) Guidelines and in accordance with Sections 444-447 of the Criminal Code of Canada and Section 24 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Thompson Rivers University treats all animals used in teaching and research with the highest standards of ethical care and treatment, and has been recognized with a Certificate of Good Animal Practice issued by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
Animal Care Committee Resources
- Annual Animal Use Data Reporting Form
- CCAC Categories of Invasiveness in Animal Experiments
- CCAC Categories of Invasiveness in Wildlife Studies
Please contact TRUacc@tru.ca if you have any questions.
Biosafety Committee
All Biosafety resources are now found in the TRU Romeo system. This includes Biosafety Application and Standard Operating Procedure forms.
Please refer to our Biosafety website for additional information. https://www.tru.ca/hsafety/biosafety.html
This office is supported by the federal Research Support Fund. The Fund assists Canadian post-secondary institutions to maintain a world-class research environment, which includes human ethics, animal care and biosafety.
