Responsible Conduct of Research
Our institution is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research. Research and Innovation offers training, consultation, and other supports to ensure that research undertaken by staff, students, and faculty is conducted in a responsible and ethical manner. Our policies are in alignment with the requirements of the Tri-Council agencies (NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR).
The Panel on Research Ethics provides an online tutorial, Course on Research Ethics which is an introduction to the 2nd edition of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS-2). It consists of eight modules focusing on the guidance in TCPS-2 that is applicable to all research regardless of discipline or methodology.
Access the TCPS-2 Ethics Course on Research Ethics
Policies
Persons conducting research at or in partnership with our institution are required to meet institutional policy and responsible conduct of research requirements. Researchers should familiarize themselves with the following policies:
If you have questions about our research policies, please contact:
Tri-Council Financial Compliance
Our institution has a dedicated Tri-Council Financial compliance team consisting of the following personnel:
- Director, Finance
- Director, Research and Innovation
- Manager, Financial Reporting
- Research and Innovation Business Advisor
- Research and Innovation Administrative Assistant
- National Bee Diagnostic Centre Administrative Assistant
The committee meets regularly to ensure compliance with the Tri-Agency Financial Administration Guide and ensure our policies align with Tri-council requirements. Committee meetings are held three times per year in January, April and October.
Report a Breach
According to the Tri-Agency Framework for Responsible Conduct of Research, a breach of research ethics policy is defined as "the failure to comply with any Agency [or institutional] policy throughout the life cycle of a research project - from application for funding to the conduct of the research and the dissemination of research results."
Examples of an ethics breach could include fabrication or falsification of data or findings; plagiarism, self-plagiarism, or redundant publication; destruction of records; invalid authorship or inadequate acknowledgement; mismanagement of funds in contravention of institutional or funding agency policy; or failure to report a conflict of interest (see the Responsible Conduct of Research policy for a full explanation of what constitutes an ethics breach). Breaches can be intentional or unintentional; even if researchers find themselves in breach of an ethics policy in error, they are still responsible and must take the appropriate rectifying actions.
All inquiries and reports will be treated confidentially. If you have any concerns regarding a breach of conduct regarding animals, human subjects, research ethics or financial matters, please contact:
Research Planning Committee
Applied research development at our institution is guided by the Research Planning Committee (RPC). It is chaired by the Vice-President Academics and Research.
The Research Planning Committee establishes, reviews and maintains Institutional Research policies and procedures.
Contact Us
For information on Responsible Conduct of Research, please contact:
