External Research Requests

The Toronto Catholic District School Board's (TCDSB) Research Review Committee (RRC) evaluates requests from external institutions, organizations or individuals applying to conduct research in TCDSB schools.

This includes people or agencies that plan to recruit research participants from schools and conduct their research off TCDSB premises. This review process ensures that proper procedures and guidelines are followed in conducting research.

Once applications have been approved, the final decision to participate rests with individual school principals. Staff, students, and families have the right to decide if they wish to participate.

Please see the following documents for more information:

• External Application Checklist (PDF | Word)

• Guidelines for Conducting External Research (PDF | Word)

• Appendix A - Signed Agreements (PDF | Word)

• Appendix B - Study Completion Form (PDF | Word)

• TCDSB Policy S.19

The deadlines for the 2023-2024 school year are:

• September 18, 2023  

• November 10, 2023 

• January 22, 2024

• May 10, 2024 (First deadline for the 2024-2025 school year)

To help you prepare, our Guidelines for Conducting External Research document includes the information required for the application. Please also review the External Application Checklist to ensure you have all the required items.

Please note the following information:

• Mailed applications are not accepted.

• Applicants do not need to submit Police Reference Check information at this point. Any acceptance decisions will be conditional upon Police Reference Check/Vulnerable Sector Screening documentation.

Once you have your completed application package (refer to our Guidelines), please fill out the online form below:

For further information, contact research.review@tcdsb.org.