Research Ethics Board

AC.4.4 Human Research Policy

AC.4.4.1 Research Requiring Ethics Review Procedure

AC.4.4.2 Free and Informed Consent Procedure

AC.4.4.3 Privacy and Confidentiality Procedure

‘Researcher’ as defined in AC.4.4.1 Research Requiring Ethics Review, is “any member of the SAIT community or any person external to the SAIT community who conducts or carries out research using SAIT resources and/or formally using members of the SAIT community as human participants. This includes but is not limited to researchers carrying out scholarly activity, applied research, and/or research under the terms of a Cadmus Trades Teaching Chair award or a Cisco e-Learning Chair award.”

If you are a researcher according to the above definition, you can find more information about if your project requires Research Ethics Board (REB) approval in AC.4.4.1 Research Requiring Ethics Review, B: Obtaining REB Approval.

See AC.4.4.1 Research Requiring Ethics Review, F. Review of Off-Campus Research and G. Review of Multi-Centered Research if your project will be conducted off-campus or at multiple sites.

• Complete the online tutorial TCPS 2: CORE (Course on Research Ethics): This eight-module online tutorial takes approximately 4 hours to thoroughly complete. The REB suggests completing the tutorial before you complete your application in ROMEO as the content of the TCPS 2 should inform your application. When you finish the tutorial, you will be issued a certificate. Save a copy of your certificate to include in your application.

• Submit a comprehensive application through the ROMEO management system. It is important to carefully include all required information and to work through each of the tabs in the system (project info, project team info, request for ethical review, attachments). The Request for Ethical Review tab has several sub-tabs (application guidance, project summary & details, methodology & recruitment, involvement of Aboriginals, consent, risks & benefits, confidentiality and anonymity, conflict of interest, compliance). Pay close attention to the yellow text boxes that mention attachments you should include such as sample interview or survey questions and your letter of consent.

To request ethical review for research being carried out on SAIT premises and/or involving SAIT faculty, staff and/or students, you must apply online through ROMEO. ROMEO is the online management system used at SAIT to manage human research ethics submissions.

ROMEO account sign-up:

• Create a ROMEO Account.

• Click Register.

• Fill in the required information and click the Register button.

• You will receive an email with a link to enter a new password.

• Once you create a new password, log into ROMEO to start your application.

If you encounter any problems or need help with ROMEO, please email research.ethics.board@sait.ca.

The Research Ethics Board (REB) meets on the last Monday of each month, with the exception of July and August. Applications are not reviewed in July or August and any applications received after the June submission deadline will be held over to the September meeting. Your application must be submitted two weeks before the monthly meeting to allow adequate time for review. As per the SAIT Research Requiring Ethics Review Procedure AC 4.4.1, the REB shall make a decision no more than 45 days from the receipt of a properly completed application.

No, the Research Ethics Board (REB) must retain its objectivity by not assisting with research project planning or application preparation. If one of your colleagues is a member of the REB and you consult with them, they will be required to remove themselves from the review of your individual application due to conflict of interest concerns.

SAIT’s Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) can consult with you about your research. Within CLT, Diane Janes ( diane.janes@sait.ca) should be your first point of contact.

If your research is being conducted in partial fulfillment for an educational credential such as a Master’s or Doctorate, your academic supervisor should be your primary resource.