All research involving human participants must receive approval from the Human Research Ethics Board (HREB). This approval is required both prior to, and during, the recruitment and data collection phases of the study. The mandate of HREB is to ensure that all human research is conducted in accordance with the highest ethical standards and that the public, the researchers, and the University are all protected from harm. University policies and procedures are designed to comply with Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.

Policies and Terms of Reference

The conduct of human research at UVic is based on policies at both the Board of Governors (BOG) and the Office of the Vice President, Research (OVPR) levels. Both the BOG and VPR procedures are in compliance with Canada's Tri-Council Policy Statement on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. The BOG policy is the enabling policy for the university that delegates ethical review management and administration to the OVPR. The OVPR policy and procedures includes detailed information about the administration of human research ethics at UVic and the terms of reference for the human research ethics board and related committees. (To review these policies and procedures, click on the following links:)

UVic Ethics Forms, Guidelines and Resources

Ethics Applications, Forms and Guidelines

Tips for Graduate Students | MS Word | PDF |
Tips for Faculty | MS Word | PDF |

Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) Research Ethics

BOG Policy and OVPR Procedures on Human Research Ethics

2008-2009 HREB Members

Codes of Ethics

Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS) on the Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (Canada)
Belmont Report (National Institutes of Health, USA)
Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association)
Nuremberg Code (National Institutes of Health, USA)

General Resources

Human Research Ethics Norms, Organizations & Resources
Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics (Canada)
CIHR Policies and Guidelines in Ethics (Canada)
National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR)
Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards (CAREB)
CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal Peoples - Draft for consultation
Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) Regulations (United States)

Privacy Resources

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Province of British Columbia)
Personal Information Protection Act (Province of British Columbia)
Personal Information Protection & Electronic Documents Act (Canada)
Governance of Health Research Involving Human Subjects (2000) - The Law Commission of Canada
Canadian Standards Association's Privacy Code

Reports

NCEHR Task Force on (REB) Accreditation Report (Canada)
Consultation with University of Victoria Researchers Involved in Research with Human Participants

Tutorials

On-line Tutorial for the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS): Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans

Contact: Human Research Ethics Assistant, ethics@uvic.ca (472-4545)