The Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research (the Secretariat) wants to inform the research community that the current Tri-Council Policy Statement 2: Course on Research Ethics (TCPS 2: CORE) will soon be replaced by a new version – TCPS 2: CORE-2022. The latter will refer exclusively to the TCPS 2 and will focus on ethics guidance that is applicable to all research involving human participants, regardless of discipline or methodology.
CORE-2022 will consist of nine modules and a knowledge consolidation exercise:
- 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
Each module will include 4-5 quiz questions. These questions will provide users with an opportunity to test their knowledge as they progress through the modules. In addition, the new version will include a knowledge consolidation exercise (KCE) consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions. A CORE-2022 Certificate of Completion will be issued to users following the successful completion of the KCE. The new course will be self-paced and should take approximately 4 hours to complete. It will be possible for users to complete the course over multiple sessions by saving their progress and resuming later. CORE-2022 will be compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) to ensure accessibility for all users.
Migration to CORE-2022 will take place during the week of January 10, 2022. Access to existing CORE registration and course completion information by users and institutions will continue, albeit through CORE-2022’s database. However, there will be no transition period during which both versions are available. Therefore, the Secretariat advises anyone who has started the current version of the course, but has not completed it, to do so by December 31, 2021. This is to avoid losing your progress in the current version.
Questions related to the upcoming migration to CORE-2022 should be directed to the Secretariat at secretariat@srcr-scrr.gc.ca.