Experiments involving humans can be classified as Low Risk or Significant Risk. The following brief explanation may help you determine the level of risk for your projects. It is best to review the policy documents if you are not certain, or contact us with your questions.
Low Risk
The risk of harm to participants in a ‘low risk’ project is not greater or more likely than everyday life. It is your responsibility to confirm that your project would be low risk by reviewing Youth Science Canada’s Participation of Humans in Research–Low Risk policy. Your project is probably low risk if you are planning to do:
- surveys
- exercise experiments
- food and drink experiments
- caffeinated beverage experiments
- absorption through the skin experiments
Significant Risk
Any project that isn’t low risk is considered significant risk and must follow stricter rules. If you think your project may involve Significant Risk, you should read more about these types of projects in Youth Science Canada’s Participation of Humans in Research – Significant Risk policy.
ALL students with projects involving human participants (low risk or significant risk) must follow these steps:
- Familiarize yourself with the Low Risk and/or Significant Risk policies.
- Find a Scientific Supervisor to provide ethics advice; this person should have expertise in the area of study.
- Plan your research or experiment; If your project involves Significant Risk, you must complete the Request for Advice or Ruling: Ethics Committee form and have your experiment approved BEFORE you start your research
- Provide all human participants with clear and detailed information about the risks of participating. Here is a template you can use: Letter of Information.
- Get informed consent from all participants (or their parents, if under 18). Here are templates you can use: Permission Form, Physical Exercise Permission Form
- Carry out your research
- Complete the appropriate approval form:
- If ‘Low Risk’: Participation of Humans in Research: Low Risk – Approval Form
- If ‘Significant Risk’: Participation of Humans in Research: Significant Risk – Approval Form
- On the day of the regional Science Fair, you need to bring with you:
- A copy of the Letter of Information you provided to participants
- A copy of the Permission Form you had all participants sign, as well as a hard copy of all signed permission forms
- A copy of any survey completed by your participants (if applicable)
- Your completed ‘Low Risk’ or ‘Significant Risk’ Approval Form
- If the project involved ‘Significant Risk,’ you must also provide the Request for Advice or Ruling: Ethics Committee form
- After the Science Fair
- To protect the privacy of all participants, you should shred all permission forms and destroy any other documentation that contains personal information of your participants
Simcoe Science and Technology Fair 