When applying for a research permit for the collection of data/information from human subjects within the Alberta Parks system (visitors and/or staff)
- If you are associated with an organization that has access to an ethics board, please include the ethics board approval* with your application.
- If you do not have access to an ethics board, please submit a document satisfying the following requirements:
- Assurances to participants regarding their voluntary participation (i.e. they are not compelled to participate or complete any questioning)
- Description of research purpose and proposed outcomes that will be articulated to participants (including explicit acknowledgment to participants that research is conducted by the research organization and not Alberta Parks)
- How the participant’s privacy and confidentiality will be ensured
- How personal information or identification that is captured will be stored, reported and disposed of
- What, if any, material rewards or incentives there are for participation (e.g. money, gifts, prize draws, etc.)
- Whether children or vulnerable people are being sampled
- A copy of any interview guides and survey questions
- Field methods for the intended work (e.g. timing, duration, locations, technical aspects such as data collection tools)
- Names of researchers, enumerators or interviewers who will be active in the proposed park site
*An ethics board approval would likely address the points listed above. If not, additional information may need to be provided.
NOTE: Staff of Parks Division may conduct research that entails collecting data/information from human subjects. Their work is subject to the same requirements noted above.
Types of projects that typically involve human subjects in parks include
- Surveys (e.g. face-to-face interviews, hardcopy survey forms, web-links to online surveys etc.)
- Passive counts (e.g. by in-situ enumerators, electronic trail counters, etc.)
- Video and photography, including trail cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles ("drones")
- Requests for secondary data captured by Alberta Environment and Parks or other organizations
Albert Parks has a duty to protect the privacy of park visitors and to facilitate enjoyable park experiences. We encourage human-dimensions research of high quality, that can inform park management or contribute to a better understanding of how and why people visit parks and protected areas.
Please contact Dr. Brian Joubert (brian.joubert@gov.ab.ca) for additional information.
