Research Area Pathways

Decision pathways for each of the five research areas in the Navigator. After choosing jurisdiction and research area, these questions narrow toward a committee outcome.

Medicine and Health Sciences

The most detailed pathway. Separates by patient contact, then by intervention.

Patient contact question

Answer	Routes to
No - Retrospective/Data Analysis Only	Scientific Research Ethics Committee
Yes - Direct Patient Contact	Intervention question
Animal Research Only	IACUC

Retrospective branch (all route to Scientific Research Ethics Committee)

Retrospective Chart/Medical Record Review
Database or Registry Analysis
Retrospective Imaging or Laboratory Data Analysis
Secondary Analysis of Existing Research Data

Intervention question

"Does your research involve any medical intervention that could alter patient outcomes?"

Answer	Routes to
No - Observational/Data Collection Only	Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee
Yes - Medical Intervention Involved	Clinical Research Ethics Committee (jurisdiction-resolved)

Non-interventional study types

All route to Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee:

Prospective Cohort Study
Prospective Case-Control Study
Cross-Sectional Study with Patient Contact
Clinical Attachment/Observation Study
Natural History Study
Patient Survey or Interview Study

Interventional studies

All route to Clinical Research Ethics Committee, resolved by jurisdiction (FDA = IRB-FDA, EMA = IEC-EMA).

Science and Engineering

Research type question

Answer	Routes to
Human subjects	Human-interaction question
Environmental research	Environmental-impact question
Laboratory research	Hazardous-materials question
Engineering research	Engineering outcome
Computational/Data science	Data-science outcome

Human-subjects branch

"What type of human interaction?"

Physical measurements or testing - IRB/REB Required
Cognitive or behavioural testing - IRB/REB Required
Biological sample collection - IRB/REB Required

Environmental branch

"Scope of environmental impact?"

Answer	Outcome
Significant	Environmental Permits Required
Moderate	Standard Permits Required
Minimal	Basic Oversight Required

Laboratory branch

Sub-branches by type (Chemical/Biological/Physical), then hazardous materials level:

High-risk: Safety Permits Required
Moderate-risk: Safety Protocols Required
Low-risk: Basic Oversight Required

Education and Social Sciences

Research type question

Answer	Routes to
Interviews or focus groups	Interview-type question
Observational studies	Observation-type question
Educational research	Educational Ethics Committee
Psychological research	Psychology outcome
Anthropological research	Anthropology outcome

Interview branch

Types: Individual interviews, Focus groups, Expert interviews

Follow-up: "Will you be working with vulnerable participants?"

Outcome	Review
Expert Interview	IRB/REB Required
Vulnerable Participants Interview	IRB/REB Full Board Review
Standard Interview	IRB/REB Required

Observation branch

Types: Participatory, Non-participatory, Online observation - all IRB/REB.

Educational branch

Types: Educational intervention, Educational assessment - route to Educational Ethics Committee.

Arts

Arts research type question

Answer	Routes to
Performance or interactive art	Participant-involvement question
Cultural or heritage research	Cultural-sensitivity question
Digital or new media art	Digital-art sub-type
Visual arts	Visual-arts outcome
Music research	Music outcome

Performance branch

"How will participants be involved?"

Involvement	Review
Observation only	Ethics Approval Generally Not Required
Active participation	IRB/REB Required
Vulnerable participants	IRB/REB Full Board Review Required

Cultural-sensitivity branch

Material type	Outcome
Indigenous cultural materials	IRB/REB and Community Approval Required
Religious or sacred artifacts	Ethics Approval Generally Not Required
Historical cultural heritage	Ethics Approval Generally Not Required
Contemporary cultural practices	IRB/REB Approval May Be Required

Indigenous materials require community approval in addition to institutional ethics review.

Survey Studies

Shortest pathway, keyed on anonymity and sensitivity.

Anonymity question

"Will survey responses be completely anonymous?"

If Yes - sensitivity question:

Sensitive data?	Outcome
No	Ethics Approval May Not Be Required
Yes	IRB/REB Approval Required

If No - identifiable data question:

Data type	Outcome
Personal identifiers	IRB/REB Approval Required
Demographic data only	IRB/REB Approval Likely Required

Anonymity plus non-sensitive content is the lowest-risk combination.

How pathways relate to committees

Pathway	Committee
Retrospective/secondary data (medicine)	Scientific Research Ethics Committee
Patient contact, no intervention	Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee
Medical intervention	Clinical Research Ethics Committee (jurisdiction-resolved)
Animal research	IACUC
Human subjects (science, social, arts, survey)	IRB / REB
Educational research	Educational Ethics Committee
Environmental research	Environmental Ethics / Permits
Published-data-only / theoretical	None

The outcome title tells you both the study classification and the review requirement. The result then provides committee requirements, regulatory references, and next steps.