What is the Lambton College Research Ethics Board (REB)?
The Lambton College Research Ethics Board is a human research ethics board that has been established to ensure that research pertaining to human subjects complies with the highest standards. Lambton College complies with the Tri-Council Guidelines (Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Several guiding ethical principles need to be considered when research involves human subjects:
- Respect for human dignity
- Respect for free and informed consent
- Respect for vulnerable persons
- Respect for privacy and confidentiality
- Respect for justice and inclusiveness
- Balancing harms and benefits – minimizing harm, maximizing benefits
What is Lambton College’s role in relation to the REB?
On behalf of the Lambton College REB, the Lambton College Applied Research and Innovation (LCARI) office manages the review, rejection, approval and monitoring process for research involving human subjects. All research involving human subjects conducted by faculty, staff or students, OR research conducted on the Lambton College community by researchers not affiliated with Lambton College, MUST be approved by the Lambton College REB.
This mandatory ethics review ensures that the research complies with the Tri-Council Guidelines. Before research can commence on a human subject, the REB’s review and approval is required.
What does the Lambton College REB consider when performing a review?
The Lambton College REB examines the ethics components of the research. These components would include:
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Sound Methodology
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Possible risks to the subjects
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Recruitment of subjects
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Consent from the subjects
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Subject confidentiality and anonymity
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How the data is handled
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How feedback is provided to subjects
Please Note: if the REB identifies problems with the application or the proposed research, you will be contacted regarding changes that need to be made.
The review process may take several weeks to complete.