Research Ethics Board

Keyano College is committed to ensuring the ethical conduct of research involving humans; as such, any research conducted at Keyano or undertaken by Keyano faculty, staff, or students involving human participants must be reviewed and approved by Keyano’s Research Ethics Board (REB).

Keyano’s REB is an independent group under the Vice President of Academic and Student Experience that reviews and approves research involving humans being completed at and through the College. Keyano’s REB complies with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2, 2022). The board consists of faculty members, librarians, students, and community members with research experience.

TCPS2: CORE Tutorial Requirement  
Please note that Research Ethics Board applications must be accompanied by TCPS2: CORE-2022 certificates for all members of the research team.

Ethics Review Process

Research ideas, thesis proposal, etc. No recruitment yet, and no research requiring review.

Optional: Prepare grant applications, funding is received.

Complete and submit REB Application form. Application is reviewed by Keyano REB for approval.

Operational and ethical approval is complete, equipment purchased, staff hired, research starts.

Conditions change, opportunities emerge, you need to change your research so you submit an amendment to your ethics application. Repeat as necessary. 

Your first ethics approval is nearing an end. Time to report on your work over the past year and request a renewal. Repeat as necessary. 

No further interaction with human participants is needed. No need to go back to original participant's records. Submit a closing report form to close the study. 

Submit a Research Proposal to the REB

To submit your research proposal for ethics approval, please complete the Keyano REB Application form. You must include all relevant documentation associated with your research design including, but not limited to:
•    Research instruments (e.g., surveys, interview questions and guides, telephone scripts)
•    Information letters, consent forms, and recruitment emails
•    Research material (e.g., other REB approvals, letters of permission)
•    Certificate of completion for the TCPS 2 from ALL researchers

Download Research Ethics Board Application Form

For questions related to the application process, consultation regarding ethical issues, REB decisions, and REB policies, please email the Research Ethics Board.

REB Meeting Schedule

The REB meets monthly throughout the academic year and applications must be submitted in advance of each meeting to be placed on the agenda with sufficient time for review. We do not meet in July or August.

Please Note: Applications must be submitted at least two weeks before a scheduled REB meeting to be considered for review. However, submission by this deadline does not guarantee that an application will be reviewed at that meeting.

October 28, 2026

November 25, 2026

December 16, 2026

Unanticipated Issues Reporting

Please use the Unanticipated Issues Reporting Form to report any unanticipated issues that have arisen during the course of your research project. The information you provide will help the REB to assess the situation and provide guidance or take appropriate action if necessary. 

Amendments and Renewals

Ethics approvals are issued for a maximum duration of 12 months for the protocol and corresponding documents as described in the application. Changes to any aspect of a study during the approval period require approval from the REB (e.g., protocol, methodology, recruitment, etc.). Changes/updates can be submitted using the REB Amendment Application form.

Ethics approval must be maintained for the entire duration in which researchers are interacting with participants or their data, and before any interaction with humans, including recruitment. It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to renew their ethics approval annually using the REB Renewal Application form.

If a researcher does not complete a renewal, the approval will expire.

Closing a Project

Principal investigators are responsible for notifying the Keyano REB when human ethics certification is no longer required for a project, either because the project has  been successfully completed or abandoned. To close an approved study, submit the REB Closing Report form.

When to close your study

You have collected all your human participant data in accordance with the study protocol and there will be no further contact between the researcher and participants. You must be done all member-checking, reporting back, and/or accessing participant records or original data sources.  

You do not need to maintain active ethics approval in case the data may be used by others in the future.

REB termination of research activities

The Keyano REB may terminate research approval if after 4 years no participants have been recruited. Dormant projects create unnecessary administrative work and may not keep up with changing scientific standards and research ethics standards. Termination decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis with the principal investigator. A termination may also be due to other factors, such as misconduct or non-compliance.

REB Membership List (2026-2027 Academic Year)

Maike Schmieding, MEd (Chair) Office of Research & Innovation

Kory Cheshire, MA School of University Studies

Iveta Fojtikova, MBA Procurement and Compliance Services

Nada Al-Khaladi Office of the Registrar & Institutional Research

REB Membership Application

The REB ensures ethical conduct of research involving humans by reviewing and approving all research projects conducted at or affiliated with Keyano, including those initiated by faculty, staff, or students. Keyano’s Research Ethics Board (REB) membership applications from faculty, staff, and community members are now open. Applications for the 2026–2027 cycle will close on September 4th.