Apply for Ethics with Digital Research Components
Research ethics boards may require that researchers abide by certain standards or practices which pertain to aspects of digital research. Research ethics boards may also provide templates, guidelines, or other resources that may help researchers comply with these standards and practices.
There are three research ethics boards at McMaster.
If your research involves animals, you should apply for ethics clearance through AREB. In general, HiREB reviews research conducted through the Faculty of Health Sciences, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) and/or Niagara Health, while MREB reviews research conducted at McMaster that is outside the Faculty of Health Sciences.
There are circumstances that require HiREB review even when research is completed outside the Faculty of Health Sciences and circumstances where researchers should contact HiREB or MREB to determine which REB will review. Consult HiREB or MREB for guidance.
Additional Resources
Ethics resources relevant to digital research include:
General Relevance
Data Sharing and Storage
Data Collection
Other digital research support units at McMaster may direct researchers to ethics-approved templates and resources. Though digital research support units at McMaster are often able to provide resources or guidance that aligns with ethics requirements, this is not always the case, especially for unique problems. Consult with your appropriate research ethics board as needed.
Training
- Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2): CORE-2022 (Course on Research Ethics)provides ethics guidance that applies to all research involving human participants – including their data and/or biological materials – conducted under the auspices of an institution eligible for funding by the federal Agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC)
- Tutorial for Researchers Conducting Retrospective Review of Health Recordsinvitation-based HiREB tutorial for researchers conducting retrospective review of health records in Ontario, at HiREB institutions
Feedback
The Digital Research Kickstarter is a living document that will be refined as we gather more information from users. We encourage and welcome any feedback. Please submit your feedback below or by emailing AskResearch.
