McGill.CA / Research and Innovation / Conducting Research / Research Involving Animals / Committees

Peer Review for Merit

On this page: Peer Review for Scientific Merit | Peer Review for Pedagogical Merit

Peer Review for Scientific Merit

The Animal Care Committee (ACC) is mandated to ensure all projects involving live animals show evidences of scientific merit prior to the approval of every Animal Use Protocol. See McGill Policy on Peer Review for Scientific Merit

Scientific Merit Peer Review Form

In most cases, the funding agency (e.g CIHR, NSERC, NIH...) performs peer review before granting funds to a project. If peer review has not been carried out by the granting agency(ies);

  • The principal investigator must request peer review from their faculty
    • Faculty of Medicine: riac.med [at] mcgill.ca (Office of the Associate Dean (Research))
    • Faculty of Science: Associate Dean Dr. STIX [at] EPS.MCGILL.CA (subject: Requesting%20Peer%20Review%20for%20Scientific%20Merit%20for%20a%20research%20project) (John Stix)
    • Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences: Assistant Dean of Research and Graduate Dental Education: belinda.nicolau [at] mcgill.ca (Dr. Belinda Farias Nicolau)
    • Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: research.macdonald [at] mcgill.ca (Office of the Associate Dean (Research)) 
  • The Faculties ensure that at least two independent experts, who do not collaborate with the protocol's author(s), review the objectives, hypotheses, methods and contributions of the project.
  • Researchers who are members of an Animal Care Committee (ACC) should not be selected for the scientific peer review of projects approved or to be approved by their assigned ACC.
  • Internal peer reviews are valid for a maximum of 5 years however, the ACC has the right to request new peer review at any time, especially if the goals have significantly changed. The office performing the review will issue an official letter confirming it findings - this letter is to be attached to the protocol.

For funding agencies which do not supply information about its peer review process for scientific merit, the PI must either request internal peer reviews or ask the funding agency to issue a letter confirming that peer review for scientific merit was done.

Peer Review for Pedagogical Merit of Live Animal-Based Teaching and Training

The Pedagogical Merit Review initiative aims to assess the clear benefit to the use of animals in the course proposed. It evaluates the necessity of using live animals for the proposed outcomes and constructive curriculum alignment between the methods used for teaching/training, for the evaluation of learning outcomes, and the timing of the given course.

The Animal Compliance Office (ACO) is mandated to ensure evidence of Pedagogical Merit prior to the approval of any protocol using live animals for the purpose of teaching or training.

  • The Pedagogical Merit Review is independent from Scientific Merit as it assesses specifically the necessity of using live animals for teaching or training.
  • At least two independent reviewers with knowledge of pedagogy and alternatives to animal-based teaching are selected determine if the proposed animal-based teaching/training is essential to meeting learning objectives and outcomes.
  • Reviewers are not members of the Animal Care Committee (ACC).
  • A Pedagogical Merit Participant Feedback form is provided to course and workshop student participants in which they evaluate, the necessity and benefit of using animals in the course, regardless of the instructor’s project review cycle.
  • Internal Pedagogical Merit Review is valid for a maximum of 4 years.
  • The ACO reserves the right to request new Pedagogical Merit Review at any time, especially if the goals of the course significantly change.

Refer to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Policy and FAQs, and Pedagogical Merit Review Policy for Teaching and Training Protocols Using Live Animals for additional details on this policy.

Forms

Instructors of teaching or training courses are to use the following form and submit to the animal.approvals [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Instructor%20submitting%20a%20completed%20pedagogical%20merit%20form) (person administering the program) in the Animal Compliance Office: 

Reviewers of the teaching and training courses are to use the following guide and form:

Students and participants will be asked to answer the following questions for their feedback:

Back to top