Research with Human Participants Home Page

The University of Waterloo requires all research involving human participants conducted by its students, staff and faculty, on or off-campus to undergo prior ethics review and clearance through the Office of Research Ethics (ORE). The ethics review and clearance process is intended to ensure that projects comply with the Office's Guidelines for Research with Human Participants (Guidelines), the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, and guidelines of various professional organizations, and that the safety, rights and welfare of participants are adequately protected.

All applications for ethics review of research with human participants are submitted to the Office of Research Ethics. The ethics review process is conducted by the Director, a Manager, ORE, and/or one of the two Research Ethics Committeesand is determined on the basis of risk level associated with the projects and whether the study is a drug or natural health product clinical trial or an investigational medical device testing. The Guidelines inform researchers about ethical issues that must be of concern when conducting research with humans (e.g. anonymity, confidentiality, risks and benefits, informed consent process etc.).

The Director and Managers develop and distribute educational materials, guidelines, procedural information, and sample documents related to research with human participants, and provide consultation, assistance and support to researchers at all stages of the application and review processes. The Director liaises with government agencies on matters pertaining to research with humans, and the Manager coordinates University research within local elementary and secondary schools ands the ongoing monitoring of human research projects with ethics clearance.

Additional details about the application and review procedures, guidelines, and educational materials can be obtained from the ORE web site or you can contact the ORE .

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UW Statement on Human Research