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Human ethics

The Human Research Ethics (HRE) team at UVic manages the review of research activity that involves human participants and human biological materials.

We provide:

  • research ethics advice
  • education
  • up-to-date regulatory information

We also give presentations to classes and can offer guidance to you and your students.

Useful resources:

If you're not sure your project requires ethical approval, email us or call 250-472-4545 as soon as possible. Graduate students should note that failing to get research ethics approval could affect your ability to graduate. 

Notices

RAIS important notice

RAIS important notice - On February 27, 2024, at 4:30 p.m., the document repository for the RAIS application will be replaced. Please let us know if you experience any issues adding or...

New web presence for Research Services

March 20, 2023

We are delighted to launch the new research services web pages!The result of in-depth consultation with users across campus, the redesign brings accessible, searchable, refreshed content and a...

UVic Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

To log in to VPN (Virtual Private Network) and any other services that require VPN, such as the RAIS (Research Administration System), you must be enrolled in UVic Multi-Factor...

COVID-19

The following are COVID-specific guidelines to support in-person research with human participants, on campus and in the community.

Please review this information if you are planning to resume in-person research that has been halted or are planning to apply for a new study.

Policies

UVic is committed to supporting our researchers in their intellectual pursuits. We also recognize the need to protect the rights and interests of the public and individuals who take part in UVic research.

UVic policies and procedures that govern human-related research uphold the highest ethical standards. They act in accordance with Canada's tri-council policy statement on the ethical conduct for research involving humans (TCPS2).

UVic researchers must understand their responsibilities to UVic and the public. Familiarize yourself with the following before you start your research.

  1. Board of Governors (BOG) research policy (policy RH8100) - sets out the manner in which research is conducted, supported and communicated at UVic.
  2. BOG university regulations for research involving humans (policy RH8105) - delegates ethical review management and administration to the Office of Vice-President Research and the Human Research Ethics office. Procedures for conducting human research start on page 4. These procedures include detailed information about the administration of human research ethics at UVic.
  3. internal guidelines for quality assessment of services and programs - these guidelines apply to internal quality assurance, performance review or testing within UVic. Note that these are guidelines, not a policy.

Federal policies

Human research ethics board

The Human Research Ethics Board (HREB) oversees UVic research activities that involve human participants or human biological materials. They ensure that these research activities meet the required ethical standards. This includes research taking place in academic courses.

UVic Human Research Ethics Board 2022-2023

Name Department
Sandra Gibbons (chair) Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education
Cindy Holder (vice-chair) Philosophy
Janice Achtem Community member
Jaime Arredondo Public Health and Social Policy
Sonya Bird Linguistics
Alexandrine Boudreault-Fournier Anthropology
Nickolas Cherwinski

Community member

Heba Elgharbawy Psychology (Graduate student)
Sean Farley Chemistry (Graduate student)
Mar'yana Fisher Nursing (Graduate student)
Junko Fukui Inness Health Information Science (Graduate student)
Marilou Gagnon Nursing
Gina Harrison Education Psychology and Leadership Studies
Clare Jennings Community member
Sarah Macoun Psychology
Graham McDonough Curriculum and Instruction
Anita Prest Curriculum and Instruction 
Timothy Richards Law
John Sherber Community member
Lynne Siemens Public Administration
Ashley Simpson Public Health and Social Policy (Graduate student)
Colette Smart Psychology
Coby Tschanz Nursing

Need help?

If you have questions or if you are new to research, email us before you begin your study, or call us at 250-472-4545.

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