Policies and Procedures

Internal Policies

External Policies

Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, 2^nd Edition (TCPS2) [4]
Good Clinical Practice [5]
- These guidelines are intended for researchers who run clinical trials involving human participants.
- These guidelines also must be adhered to in trials involving Natural Health Products.
Belmont Report [6]
- This report is by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It was one of the earlier documents on ethics and research, and remains an important document internationally today.
- A brief and succinct overview of general ethical principles.
Nuremberg Code [7]
- This ten point code was drafted as a result of the Nuremberg Military Trials after World War II. It remains an important document upon which current ethical policy is based.
- A brief, but important document.
Declaration of Helsinki [8]
- Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects by World Medical Association.
- A brief and accessible document which has been and remains a key source for medical ethics.
Privacy Legislation - Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada [9]
- This link will give you access to provincial legislation on privacy.
Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) [10]
- Federal legislation which governs the use and protection of personal information, in the context of “commercial” activities.
- Largely aimed at commercial organizations, this does have some impact on university research ethics, particularly with respect to storage of records involving demographic information, especially when the research has the potential to create commercial activity e.g. technology transfer.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) [11]
- American privacy legislation.
- Applies to Canadian researchers only if they are working in U.S. or are funded by U.S. sources.
- Used in Canada as a guideline in privacy issues.