Research Ethics

Examining the ethics when research involves people

Research ethics focuses on key questions and issues related to the nature of research, its design and implementation, as well as research outcomes. When research involves human participants, there is particular interest in considering, for example, the nature and role of informed consent and the appropriateness of particular research methodologies with vulnerable populations.

Many in our department are interested in issues in research ethics, including Dr. Lynette Reid. Drs. Conrad Fernandez and Heather Castleden (former cross-appointee), are particularly strong in this area with ongoing research related to: attending to the ethics of community-based research in and of itself, and returning research results to participants. Further, this research is fundamentally tied to our interests in community engagement.  

Selected publications:

Angelski CL, Fernandez CV, Weijer C, Gao J. 2012. The publication of ethically uncertain research: Attitudes and practices of journal editors. BMC Medical Ethics 13(4).

Castleden H, Sloan Morgan V, Lamb C. 2012. “I spent the first year drinking tea”: Exploring Canadian university researchers’ perspectives on the ethical and institutional tensions of community-based participatory research involving Indigenous peoples. The Canadian Geographer.

Cox K, Fernandez CV, Chambers CT, Bandstra NF, Parker JA. 2011. Impact on Parents of Receiving Individualized Feedback of Psychological Testing Conducted With Children as Part of a Research Study. Accountability in Research. Sep-Oct;18(5):342-56.

Matthews DC, Brillant MGS, Clovis JB, McNally ME, Filiaggi MJ, Kotzer RD, Lawrence HP. 2012. Assessing the oral health of an ageing population: methods, challenges and predictors of survey participation. Gerodontology 2012; 29(2):e656-e666

Reid L, Krahn T. 2007. Minimal risk in Canada’s Tri-Council Policy Statement. Health Law Journal 15: 469-513