Supervisors

Any McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences student doing research anywhere, requires review by HiREB and at the institution where they are completing their data collection.

An exception is program evaluation/quality improvement activity. It is advised that the student discuss this with their supervisor and the HiREB Research Ethics Officer.

The Student Research Committee (SRC) reviews minimal risk studies and is governed by the same guidelines and regulations as the main board (HiREB). The SRC may work more with the student, but does not replace the role and guidance of the supervisor.

The SRC reviews research from the following students:

• Undergrad student in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
• Undergrad student conducting research as part of a course in the FHS with a supervisor appointed in another Faculty
• Master’s student in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS)
• Master’s student conducting research as part of a course in the FHS with a supervisor appointed in another Faculty

HiREB (main Board) reviews the following type of student research (student at ANY level):

• Chart review
• Human tissue research
• Prospective databases

HiREB (main Board) reviews ALL submissions for:

• PhD students
• Residents
• Fellows
• Post-doctoral work

Although students, the individuals noted above hold a higher position which prevails when determining the research review process.

HiREB (main Board) reviews submissions for:

• Research that is part of a faculty member’s research program and UNRELATED to the requirements for the student’s thesis or inquiry course

Course-based Ethics Approval

The HiREB SRC is offering course-based ethics approval for those courses which are designed to have students develop their research skills but the research activities do not fit the standard definition of research, since the results are not intended for publication or generalization. The class exercises may be carried out by individual students, small groups, or as a single class project.

For further information please see the guidelines for Course-based Ethics Approval, found with the application form, on the forms and downloads page or download it here.