12 Administrative Research for Internal Purposes

In this section:

12.1 What is administrative research?
12.2 What are some examples of Administrative Research?
12.3 What is exempt from Administrative Research Review?
12.4 How do I obtain and maintain administrative approval?
12.5 Administrative Research Project Guidelines
12.6 How do I modify an approved projects?
12.7 How do I appeal a decision?​
12.8 Does my project need Research Ethics Board (REB) or Administrative Research approval?
12.9 What are the timelines for approving my Administrative Research application and can my review be expedited?
12.10 Do I have to resubmit an Administrative Research Approval Request Form if I plan to send out my survey on an annual basis, but no changes have been made to original application?
12.11 If I wanted to add new questions to my existing Administrative Research project, do I have to submit these changes?
12.12 What software should I use to distribute my survey?
12.13 Is there a way to collect personal information for a raffle, but still keep my survey anonymous?

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12.1 What is administrative research?

Administrative research projects are internal quality assurance or quality improvement projects conducted in order to gain information for assessment, management or improvement purposes. These projects are typically used internally for administrative purposes and do not meet the definition of ‘research’ as outlined in the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS 2), and are exempt from Research Ethics Board (REB) review. While these projects are exempt from REB review, they must undergo review and approval by the Office of Research Services.

12.2 What are some examples of Administrative Research?

  • Measuring satisfaction with parking at Laurier
  • Determining if library resources currently meet the needs of psychology graduate students
  • Assessing and reporting on the effectiveness of software training given to new employees.

12.3 What is exempt from Administrative Research Review?

  • Information which is necessary for the University to collect from individuals for operational purposes (e.g., course evaluations)
  • Administrative research outside of the jurisdiction or auspices of Laurier (e.g., WLUSA, WLUFA, and Student’s Union surveys)
  • Registration forms for events or surveys to schedule events/courses/meetings
  • Award nomination forms
  • Government mandated surveys

12.4 How do I obtain and maintain administrative approval?

  1. Complete the Administrative Research Approval Request Form

  2. Have the project reviewed by your immediate supervisor

  3. Submit the form, together with a copy of any surveys or focus group questions that you will use and an introductory paragraph that will be presented to participants. 

  4. The Office of Research Services will review your submission. A decision or a request for more information will typically be sent to you within a week. Please note that you should not start the research activity until this approval is obtained.

12.5 Administrative Research Project Guidelines

All administrative research projects must:

  • Provide a contact name and email/phone number to the participants so that they may contact the investigator if they have any questions.
  • Ensure participation is voluntary.
  • Obtain consent from each participant (participation in Administrative Research may be considered consent).  
  • Clearly state if there is any follow-up planned with participants. 
  • Explain to the participants the purpose of the activity.
  • Tell participants what their time commitment will be. 
  • Inform participants whether or not an incentive is available for participating in the study.
  • Address issues of confidentiality and explain how their data will be used or presented.
  • If distributing the survey through a third-party company, inform participant on how the third-party obtained their information and when it will be deleted.
  • Inform participants if you plan to collect testimonials or use direct quotes from their responses.
  • Be made available in an accessible alternate format upon request. 
  • Include with your submission for review an introductory paragraph to participants either when you contact them or at the start of your survey / questionnaire / focus group to cover points above. 

Introductory Paragraph Template 

“This survey is being conducted to gain feedback regarding X service and has been approved by the Office of Research Services under file #### - ## as per University Policy 8.2. The survey should take approximately X minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary. The information you provide is kept strictly confidential and none of the answers will be attributed to you personally [for use on anonymous surveys]

OR

The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential [for use on surveys where identifiable information is linked to survey responses]. Survey responses will be aggregated and presented in a final report, which will be shared with [Insert group/individuals who will have access to results]. Data will be kept confidential for a period of X years/months, then will be securely destroyed

OR

Data will be retained indefinitely for [Insert reason e.g. longitudinal analysis or benchmarking purposes]. If you have questions, or if you require this survey in an accessible format, please contact [Insert Name, Department, email/phone extension].”​

Incentives (optional)

If you plan to offer an incentive or prize for completing the survey/focus group/interview, please ensure to also include the following language in your introductory paragraph:

“For participating in the study, you can choose to provide your contact information to be entered into a draw for a chance to win [Insert prize]. Your contact information will only be used to notify you, should you be the winner of the draw, and will not be associated with your survey/interview/focus group responses [for anonymous studies only]. All contact information will be destroyed once the winner of the draw is selected. The winner will be determined by random draw and will be notified by [Insert method of notification e.g. email] by [Insert date].”

Testimonials/Direct Quotes (optional)

If you plan to collect testimonials or use direct quotes from participants’ responses, please ensure to provide the following information in your introductory paragraph:

“At the end of the survey, you can choose to provide a testimonial about X service. Testimonials will remain anonymous and will be used for promotion of our programs. We reserve the right to edit testimonials for length, grammar, and spelling while remaining faithful to the meaning of the testimonial. By submitting a testimonial you agree to these terms.”

OR

“If you agree to participate in this survey, quotations from your responses may be used in write-ups/presentations and will/will not contain information that allows you to be identified. You will be able to vet your quotation by [Insert quotation vetting process].”

OR

“Information provided during this interview may be used in the final reports, presentations and promotional materials for this program. By participating in this interview, you consent to the use of your responses to be used for these purposes. Quotations used will/will not contain information that allows you to be identified.”

Hiring a Third-Party Company (optional)

If you plan to hire or use a third-party company to collect and/or process your data, please include the following information in your introductory paragraph:

“This survey is being conducted to gain feedback regarding X service and it will be conducted by [Insert third-party company] on behalf of Wilfrid Laurier University. If you agree to participate we ask that you complete a survey that will take approximately X minutes to complete. While in transmission on the internet, the confidentiality of data cannot be guaranteed. [Insert third-party company] has been provided with some identifying information, including your name and email address [only if applicable]. All identifying information will be removed prior to analysis. The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential and none of the answers will be attributed to you personally [For anonymous surveys]. Survey responses will be aggregated and shared in a final report seen by [Insert groups/individuals who will have access to results]. More information on [Insert third-party company] privacy policy can be found here [Insert hyperlink to privacy policy]. Participation in this study is voluntary. You may choose not to participate, chose not to answer any questions or withdraw at any time.

This survey has been approved by the Office of Research Services under file ####-## as per University Policy 8.2. [Insert third-party company] will destroy all electronic records of student names and email addresses by [Insert date]. OPTIONAL: De-identified data will be kept by [Insert Laurier department/office/unit] indefinitely to facilitate longitudinal analysis. 

If you would like more information about the survey, please contact [Insert Laurier representative Name and email address] or if you require the survey in an alternate format or require technical support contact [Insert third-party company name and email address].”

12.6 How do I modify an approved projects?

If you wish to make any changes to your project after approval, please submit your changes to AdminResearch@wlu.ca​, for review and approval before changes are put into place. In your email, please provide a point-by-point summary on the changes made from the original application.

Please note, if you plan to make a request on a project that was initially submitted more than 5 years ago, please resubmit the Administrative Research Approval Request Form as several university policies and procedures may have changes since your initial submission.

12.7 How do I appeal a decision?​

The principal investigator may appeal a decision not to approve their administrative review project. The appeal will be presented to the University Secretary who will make a recommendation to the VP: Research whose decision will be final. 

12.8 Does my project need Research Ethics Board (REB) or Administrative Research approval?

Quality assurance or improvement studies, program evaluation activities, and performance reviews, or testing within normal educational requirements when used exclusively for assessment, management or improvement purposes are exempt from REB review but must receive review and approval through the Office of Research Services. If this is the purpose of your project, then it should be submitted for Administrative Research review and approval.

If the purpose of your project goes beyond quality assurance or improvement and would meet the TCPS 2 (2022) definition of research, then REB review and approval is required. TCPS 2 (2018) defines research as “an undertaking intended to extend knowledge through disciplined inquiry or systematic investigation”. This means that the project is conducted with the expectation that the method, results and conclusions will be able to withstand the scrutiny of the relevant research community and is seeking to address a research question that may extend knowledge to other programs. Please note that publishing or otherwise disseminating the results of a project is not a factor that determines whether the project is research not, but in some cases may help to determine the intended purpose of the project.

If you have any questions on whether or not your project requires REB or Administrative Research approval, please contact AdminResearch@wlu.ca.

12.9 What are the timelines for approving my Administrative Research application and can my review be expedited?

Please note, review times typically take one week, however, it may take longer if there is information missing from your application or further clarification is required. Review times can also be longer during high-volume submission periods (e.g. at the beginning and end of each term). Expedited reviews will not be accepted, please respect the timelines presented above and prepare for your project accordingly.

12.10 Do I have to resubmit an Administrative Research Approval Request Form if I plan to send out my survey on an annual basis, but no changes have been made to original application?

No, if you do not plan to make any changes to your survey/data collection methods, then you do not have to resubmit an approval request each year.

12.11 If I wanted to add new questions to my existing Administrative Research project, do I have to submit these changes?

Yes, these changes must be submitted as a modification request. Please submit your changes to AdminResearch@wlu.ca, for review and approval before changes are put into place. In your email please provide a point-by-point summary on the changes made from the original application.

12.12 What software should I use to distribute my survey?

In order to comply with university policies, please ensure your methods of data collection utilize a University-approved Cloud solution. A list of approved solutions can be found here. The most popular method of survey distribution is through Qualtrics. More information on Qualtrics can be found here.

12.13 Is there a way to collect personal information for a raffle, but still keep my survey anonymous?

Yes, if you are using Qualtrics to distribute your survey there is an option to create an anonymized raffle. Please follow the instructions found here. Please ensure you test your survey logic and anonymous raffle prior to distributing your survey.