Defining Research

The Belmont Report defines research as: "an activity designed to test an hypothesis, permit conclusions to be drawn, and thereby to develop or contribute to generalized knowledge (expressed, for example, in theories, principles, and statements of relationships). Research is usually described in a formal protocol that sets forth an objective and a set of procedures designed to reach that objective."

The Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2) states The Importance of Research and Research Ethics: "The search for knowledge about ourselves and the world around us is a fundamental human endeavour. Research is a natural extension of this desire to understand and to improve the world in which we live.

The scope of research is vast. On the purely physical side, it ranges from seeking to understand the origins of the universe down to the fundamental nature of matter. At the analytic level, it covers mathematics, logic and metaphysics. Research involving humans ranges widely, including attempts to understand the broad sweep of history, the workings of the human body and the body politic, the nature of human interactions and the impact of nature on humans – the list is as boundless as the human imagination. For the purposes of this Policy, research is defined as an undertaking intended to extend knowledge through a disciplined inquiry or systematic investigation."

As an undergraduate, graduate student or faculty member at McMaster, it is important to know what qualifies as research requiring ethical review and what does not. Once you have determined that you are doing either course, individual or faculty research, you need to know how if the research is defined as research involving human subjects, thus requiring REB review.

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