Research Ethics Review at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC)

Purpose

The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) is committed to ensuring that all research involving human participants is conducted in accordance with the highest ethical standards.

All research involving human participants conducted under the auspices of RMC must comply with the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2), as well as applicable Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) policies, including DAOD 5061 and DAOD 5062. Researchers are responsible for familiarizing themselves with, and adhering to, these requirements before commencing research.

Research involving human participants may not begin until all required approvals have been obtained.

Governing Policies

Researchers are responsible for consulting the following documents:

• Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2)
• DAOD 5061-0, Research Involving Human Participants
• DAOD 5061-1, Research Involving Human Participants
• DAOD 5062-0, Social Science Research
• DAOD 5062-1, Social Science Research

These documents establish the ethical and administrative requirements governing research involving human participants within Canadian universities and the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces.

Ethics Review and Other Required Approvals

The RMC Research Ethics Board (RMC REB) has the authority to review and determine the ethical acceptability of research involving human participants conducted within RMC or under the auspices of RMC, including research conducted by RMC faculty, staff, or students. RMC REB approval addresses the ethical acceptability of the research and does not, by itself, constitute authorization to access research sites, organizations, or participants.

Where RMC-affiliated researchers propose to conduct research involving Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members or other Defence personnel outside RMC, additional DND/CAF approvals and review requirements may apply. In particular, social science research involving CAF members or DND personnel is subject to the applicable requirements of the DAOD 5062 series and the Social Science Research Review Board (SSRRB), including organizational approval and contextual, methodological, and ethical review as applicable. These requirements are separate from, and do not replace, RMC REB review. Accordingly, RMC REB approval and the required DND/CAF authorization or SSRRB review may both be necessary before such research can commence.

Where research involves human biological materials or other activities falling within the mandate of a DND/CAF health research ethics body, additional review by the appropriate DND/CAF committee may also be required.

The RMC REB reviews research that falls within its mandate. However, RMC REB approval does not replace any additional ethics reviews, administrative approvals, or organizational permissions that may be required by other institutions, government departments, military organizations, schools, hospitals, health authorities, or research review bodies.

Researchers conducting collaborative or multi-institutional research should consult participating institutions and organizations early in the planning process to determine whether additional ethics review or authorization is required.

Approval by the RMC REB does not replace ethics review or authorization requirements imposed by other institutions, universities, organizations, departments, agencies, or review boards. Researchers are responsible for identifying and obtaining all required approvals before commencing recruitment, data collection, or other research activities.

Authority to Recruit Research Participants at RMC

Officer Cadets and Naval Cadets

For RMC researchers (faculty, staff, and students), authorization to recruit officer cadets and naval cadets for approved research projects is delegated through the REB Chair acting under the authority granted by the appropriate approving authority.

Researchers external to RMC who wish to recruit officer cadets or naval cadets must obtain approval from the Director of Cadets, in addition to any required ethics approvals.

DND Employees and CAF Members at RMC

Ethics approval does not constitute authorization to access or recruit DND employees, CAF members, or other personnel.

Researchers wishing to recruit non-cadet populations at RMC are responsible for obtaining permission from the appropriate authority having responsibility for the population being recruited.

Researchers should identify and obtain all required permissions before REB submission.

Guidance on Demographic Information

Researchers collecting demographic information from RMC populations must ensure that such information is necessary to address the research objectives and does not create unnecessary risks to participant privacy or confidentiality.

Particular care should be exercised when collecting demographic information from small or potentially identifiable populations.

Additional guidance on demographic data collection is available here regarding RMC cadet population: Policy on the Collection of Demographic Information in Research Involving Royal Military College Cadets

Forms, Templates, and Supporting Documents

Researchers should contact the REB Chair to obtain the:

1. RMC REB Submission Form

   The REB Submission Form is used for research involving human participants that requires review by the RMC REB.

2. RMC REB Minimal-Risk Course Project Form

   The REB minimal-risk course project form is used for course-based, minimal-risk activities involving human participants that are conducted solely for pedagogical purposes, such as teaching students how to carry out ethical data collection, research methods, data analysis, or observational techniques.

   Results must not be disseminated outside the course (e.g., not published, not presented at conferences, not included in theses, not for pedagogical purposes outside the identified course and the timeline indicated, not presented in any form outside the course for which it was intended).

    This form must not be used if the proposed activity:

   • Is part of the instructor’s own research program (whether funded or unfunded).
   • Will produce results that will be disseminated outside the course.
   • Exceeds minimal risk, such as involving physically or psychologically invasive procedures.
   • Uses more than minor deception.
   • Involves sensitive topics with a vulnerable population.
   • Uses responses from participants that are not anonymous.

   Any project that meets any of these criteria must be submitted using the regular RMC REB Submission Form.

   Honours thesis projects involving humans or identifiable human data require the RMC REB Submission Form and should be submitted to the RMC REB undergraduate chair or the RMC REB chair.

3. Annual Renewal & Amendment Form for Approved Studies

   This form is used to request the annual renewal of an active REB approval and to seek approval for any proposed modifications to an approved study, including changes to research procedures, recruitment methods, participant populations, study materials, or research personnel.

   Amendments must be approved by the REB before implementation.

Recruitment, Consent, and Debriefing Guidance:

The following resources provide examples and content recommendations for commonly submitted participant-facing documents:

• Recruitment posters, recruiment emails, letters of invitation
• Consent Forms
• Debriefing Forms

These examples are intended to assist researchers in preparing study-specific materials and should not be considered complete templates. Researchers remain responsible for ensuring that all documents are appropriate for their study and comply with applicable ethical requirements, including TCPS 2.

Duration of Ethics Approval and Continuing Review

Ethics approval is valid for the period specified in the approval letter and may not extend beyond one year without renewal.

Researchers are responsible for requesting renewal prior to the expiry of ethics approval when:

• data collection is ongoing;
• participant recruitment continues;
• participant contact continues; or
• identifiable data remain under active analysis.

Research activities must cease upon expiry of ethics approval unless a renewal has been approved.

Researchers must also submit amendments for any proposed changes to approved research procedures before implementing such changes. Please use the Annual Renewal & Amendment Form for Approved Studies

Submission Process

Submissions are initially screened for completeness.

Researchers should ensure that submissions are complete, internally consistent, and accompanied by all supporting documentation before submission. Incomplete submissions will be returned to the researcher and will not enter the formal review process until all required materials and information have been received.

The time required for ethics review varies depending on the complexity of the project, reviewer workload, and the completeness of the submission. Researchers should allow a minimum of two months for the review process and should plan project timelines accordingly.

Researcher Responsibilities Following Data Collection

In accordance with TCPS 2 requirements and RMC REB procedures, researchers will be required to provide information following completion of data collection or at study closure.

Researchers remain responsible for:

• reporting unanticipated issues or adverse events;
• submitting requested status updates;
• submitting renewal requests when required;
• notifying the REB of project completion; and
• complying with approved data retention, storage, and destruction procedures.