Level of Review

The REB Chair shall use a proportionate approach to determine the appropriate level of REB review by assessing the level of foreseeable risk to the participants; where the lower the level of risk, the lower the level of scrutiny (delegated/expedited review); the higher the level of risk, the higher the level of scrutiny (full board review). This determination will be based on TCPS 2 procedures.

Where Full REB review is determined, the REB Chair will circulate the research proposal to all members of the REB for review and assessment; following which the REB shall normally meet face to face to review and adjudicate the proposed research.

Where Delegated/Expedited REB review is determined, the REB Chair shall delegate the protocol for ethics review to two members of the REB according to his/her assessment of the level of risk, complexities, and complications of the proposed research. Delegated reviewers may refer projects back to the full REB if they determine that full board review is required.

Research proposals will be considered as being eligible for Delegated/Expedited REB review by the Chair when:

• The research projects must be no more than minimal risk; defined as: If potential participants can reasonably be expected to regard the probability and magnitude of possible harms implied by participation in the research to be no greater than those encountered by the subject in those aspects of his or her everyday life that relate to the research then the research can be regarded as within the range of minimal risk.
• The research participants must be drawn from the general adult population, capable of giving free and informed consent, and may not include vulnerable subjects such as children, persons who are not legally competent to consent, mentally incompetent persons, prisoners, legal wards or the therapeutically dependent.
• In general, the projects should not involve any highly personal, sensitive or incriminating topics or questions which could place participants at risk or cause embarrassment.
• The projects must not manipulate behaviour of participants beyond the range of “normal” classroom activity or daily life.
• In general, the projects should not involve physically invasive contact with the research participants.
• The projects should not withhold key information that could influence a participant’s decision to participate in the research.
• The projects should not involve the kind of deception that had a participant known about it in advance they likely would not have agreed to participate.