In early 2022, the REB announced that effective January 1st, 2023, it will no longer accept pre-2022 TCPS2: CORE Certificates in order to be up to date with the latest recommendations from the Panel on Research Ethics.
The newest version of the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2: Course on Research Ethics (TCPS 2: CORE) was officially released at the beginning of last year, and in an effort to offer the research community adequate opportunity to take the new training, the REB set the due date for its completion for the following year of the CORE’s release.
Effective January 1st, 2023, the REB now requires the submission of the TCPS2: CORE-2022 Certificate with Main Applications.
For those who need to complete the new training, it is similar in structure to earlier TCPS2 training and even TCPS1, and there are some changes as well.
The new modules are based on the current TCPS2 2018 policy (see https://ethics.gc.ca/eng/policy-politique_tcps2-eptc2_2018.html for English and https://ethics.gc.ca/fra/policy-politique_tcps2-eptc2_2018.html for French) and reflect updated changes. The Panel on Research Ethics (PRE) notes there are 9 training modules in the TCPS2: CORE-2022 training and each is followed by a quiz with 4-5 knowledge testing questions. New to the certification is that upon completion of the modules there is a 25-question knowledge consolidation exercise. In order to successfully obtain the CORE-2022 Certificate of Completion, respondents must correctly answer 20 of the 25 questions.
The following is a list of the self-paced modules. These can be taken all at once or over multiple sessions, but all modules must be completed before the 25-question consolidation exercise can be attempted.
• Module A1 – Introduction
• Module A2 – Scope of TCPS 2
• Module A3 – Risks and Benefits
• Module A4 – Consent
• Module A5 – Fairness and Equity
• Module A6 – Privacy and Confidentiality
• Module A7 – Conflicts of Interest
• Module A8 – Research Ethics Board Review
• Module A9 – Research Involving Indigenous Peoples
• Knowledge Consolidation Exercise
The PRE estimates that it will take approximately four (4) hours to complete the TCPS2: CORE-2022 course.
The Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research (the Secretariat) administers the TCPS2: CORE-2022 and can be of assistance if need be. More information is available about the new training including access to the login page here https://tcps2core.ca/welcome. Additional questions about the tutorial should be directed to the Secretariat at secretariat@srcr-scrr.gc.ca.
Please note that should researchers attempt to print an older version of their TCPS2, it does update with the “TCPS2: CORE-2022” title, but will still reflect the original completion date of the older version. The new completion date will be reflected once the final knowledge consolidation exercise is successfully completed.
Any additional questions not able to be resolved by the Secretariat should be addressed to the Office of Research Ethics at ethics@uwindsor.ca.
Please note the REB will also accept equivalent TCPS2: CORE 2022 ethics training certifications such as PRIM&R’s Ethical Research Oversight Course (EROC) or the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.