Research Ethics
- Bloomberg Nursing Ethics Review
- Conducting Research Involving the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Community as Research Subjects
Bloomberg Nursing Ethics Review
Background
Research conducted by LSBFON faculty member or students under the auspices of the University of Toronto must be reviewed and approved by a University of Toronto Research Ethics Board before it may begin. Information about humans in research at the University of Toronto can be found here.
Reason for Ethics Review by Research Office
The Associate Dean Research approval statement below makes clear that the Faculty is ultimately responsible for the ethical conduct of research by members of the Faculty:
“As the responsible Dean or authorized delegate, my Approval confirms that I am aware of the proposed research activity, that the activity is appropriately described in the protocol, that the activity (described in the protocol) has undergone or will undergo appropriate scholarly review, and that the unit will allocate space, other resources and administrative support to the research activity. My Approval also means that the unit will ensure that all procedures performed within the proposed research activity will be conducted in accordance with all relevant University, provincial and national policies, procedures and regulations”.
Process
Research at University-Affiliated Hospitals
Researchers who intend to recruit patients from the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) institutions, or use their facilities or data, must submit their ethics submission to these institutions for approval prior to submission to the University of Toronto. Research approved by the research ethics board at TAHSN hospitals will require administrative review from the University of Toronto before commencement of any research. TAHSN/Administrative Review does not require approval from the Associate Dean, Research, and are exempt from the process described below.
Research at the University of Toronto
All ethics submissions are submitted through the University of Toronto’s My Research Human Protocol (MRHP) online submission system (https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/administrative-web-services/my-research-mr/). Each initial submission requires approval from the Associate Dean Research (ADR) or (in her absence) the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing before it is routed to the Office of Research Ethics for final approval. Researchers conducting research with Indigenous communities need to complete a human ethics review form.
Researchers and PhD students should please alert the Research office (research.nursing@utoronto.ca) if they are submitting a non-TAHSN ethics protocol to a University of Toronto Research Ethics Board in order to ensure their protocols are reviewed in a timely manner. Please remember to press submit once you have completed the online application; PhD students should remind their supervisors that they too must sing off on the protocol in order for it to be forwarded to the research office for approval by the Associate Dean, Research and External Relations.
University of Toronto Researchers who wish to conduct research with students, staff and faculty at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing should consult the Office of the Vice President and Provost guidelines and procedures available at: https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/planning-policy/guideline-on-the-surveying-of-u-of-t-students-faculty-librarians-staff-and-alumni-by-u-of-t-researchers/.
Non-University of Toronto researchers who wish to conduct research with students, staff and faculty at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing should consult the guidelines for external researchers, available at: https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/planning-policy/guideline-for-external-researchers-conducting-research-involving-members-of-the-u-of-t-community/.
Ethics Approval for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Faculty members conducting Scholarship of Teaching and Learning are advised to consult with the Associate Dean Academic about their proposed project.
All protocols must be approved by the Undergraduate or Graduate Director (as relevant), and by the Associate Dean Academic. The signature page can be found here. The researcher can then submit the protocol to the office of the Associate Dean Research following the procedure below.
Faculty, Status-only appointees, PhD Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows: Delegated or Full Board Approval
All protocols that require delegated or full board approval must be approved by the Associate Dean of Research prior to submission to UofT REB. Feedback and/or approval will be provided within (5) business days from receipt of the REB application by the research office. Revisions may be required prior to the submission to UofT REB. REB meeting dates can be found here.
Please submit the following (as one file, named: Lastname_Firstname_ethics_date) to the research office by email (research.nursing@utoronto.ca):
- Cover sheet (link here)
- MRHP Application (link here; you can cut and paste from this form into the online system)
- All Appendices
Useful links
Guide to informed consent can be found here.
MRHP how-to guides can be found here; and information on training sessions can be found by logging into MRA and looking under the human ethics protocol.
Any questions about MRHP or the above process can be directed to the research office (by email, research.nursing@utoronto.ca; or by telephone, 416 978 8533). A full word version of the online ethics form can be obtained on request from the research office.
Conducting Research Involving the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (LSBFON) Community as Research Subjects
University of Toronto Researchers (including those from the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing) who wish to conduct survey research involving members of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing community must consult the Office of the Vice President and Provost guidelines and procedures for surveying the University of Toronto community and complete the required approval request form (see Guideline). This approval request form is not required for non-survey research (i.e., focus groups, interviews, participant observation).
External (i.e., non-University of Toronto) researchers who wish to conduct research involving members of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing community, using surveys, focus groups, interviews, or participant observations, must consult the Guideline on External Researchers Conducting Research Involving Members of the U of T Community and complete the required approval request form (see Guideline).Research at the Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing follows the University of Toronto’s Policy on Ethical Conduct of Research.
Please follow the instructions below for your specific situation. If you have any questions, please contact research.nursing@utoronto.ca.
CASE 1: Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Researchers
Research Approval
Step 1. Submit the Provostial approval (as required for survey research), Bloomberg ethics cover sheet (with appropriate signatures) and full ethics protocol (including appendices) to research.nursing@utoronto.ca for review by the Associate Dean, Research & External Relations, before submitting online via My Human Research Protocol (MHRP) submission system (https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/administrative-web-services/my-research-mr/).
Teaching stream faculty must contact the Office of Research & External Relations, to obtain access to the MRHP.
Please note: Research that has not undergone peer review by thesis committee or funding agency must be submitted to the Research Committee (research.nursing@utoronto.ca) for scientific merit review before receiving ethics approval from the Associate Dean, Research & External Relations.
Participant Recruitment
Faculty and employees of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing will not email recruitment materials or study announcements to students, employees and faculty members.
Bloomberg Nursing Researchers may make study-related announcements or provide recruitment materials via the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Twitter account, Facebook page, or faculty newsletter (e-Pulse) and may contact the Graduate Nursing Students Society and the Nursing Undergraduate Society. Researchers should forward requests (with appropriate REB and Provostial approval) to research.nursing@utoronto.ca.
Faculty researchers may share study information with students in-class and via Quercus if they have obtained REB and Provostial approval. For more information on student participation please visit the Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation research site.
Employees and faculty can also be contacted individually via their publicly available email addresses, however they are under no obligation to participate or respond. For more information on the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), please see http://www.fippa.utoronto.ca/home.
CASE 2. University of Toronto Researchers not appointed at Bloomberg Nursing
Research Approval
Step 1. Obtain University of Toronto ethics approval via home department/faculty by submitting via online My Human Research Protocol (MHRP) submission system (https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/administrative-web-services/my-research-mr/) with the approval from the Office of the Vice-President and Provost (as required for survey research).
Step 2. Once REB approval has been received, request approval from the LSBFON research office (research.nursing@utoronto.ca) for access to the LSBFON community. Your request must include copies of the Provostial approval (as required for survey research) and REB approval.Participant Recruitment
Faculty and employees of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing will not email recruitment materials or study announcements to students, employees and faculty members.
University of Toronto Researchers may make study-related announcements or provide recruitment materials via the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing Twitter account or Facebook page and may contact the Graduate Nursing Students Society and the Nursing Undergraduate Society. Employees and faculty can also be contacted individually via their publicly available email addresses, however they are under no obligation to participate or respond. For more information on the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), please see http://www.fippa.utoronto.ca/home.
CASE 3. Non-University of Toronto Researchers
Research Approval
Step 1. Obtain ethics approval from your own institution.
Step 2. Obtain approval from the Office of the Vice President and Provost, following their guidelines, available here: https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/planning-policy/guideline-for-external-researchers-conducting-research-involving-members-of-the-u-of-t-community/.
Step 3. If the University of Toronto is playing a role in the study beyond recruitment, such as data collection, or, if a University of Toronto researcher is part of the research team, an ethics protocol must be submitted to the University of Toronto following the procedure in Case 1 above; this will require including a Faculty member as a co-investigator.
Step 4. Once provostial approval has been received from the University of Toronto, request approval from the LSBFON research office (research.nursing@utoronto.ca) for access to the LSBFON community. Your request must include copies of the Provostial and REB approvals.Participant Recruitment
Faculty and employees of the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing will not email recruitment materials or study announcements to students, employees and faculty members.
Non-University of Toronto Researchers may contact the Graduate Nursing Students Society and the Nursing Undergraduate Society to recruit students. Employees and faculty can also be contacted individually via their publicly available email addresses, however they are under no obligation to participate or respond. For more information on the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), please see http://www.fippa.utoronto.ca/home.