Request to Recruit Research Participants
Request to Conduct Active Recruitment
Guidelines
This section is for external researchers who wish to facilitate active recruitment activities with clients from the Aphasia Institute, with some support from Aphasia Institute staff regarding logistics (e.g., setting up dates for information sessions, pre-screenings, and on-site data collection).
The Aphasia Institute welcomes requests for conducting and supporting research and gives priority to research with real life impact and areas of particular interest to people with aphasia (e.g., support for individuals living with aphasia, treatments with direct impact on participation and quality of life, use of volunteers, pragmatics/ functional communication, and issues related to inherent competence). Research with the aim to reduce language barriers to full life participation will be given preference.
In developing our guidelines, the Aphasia Institute Research & Ethics (AIRE) Committee has followed the recommendations laid down in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical conduct for Research involving Humans[1] and the guidelines for Good Clinical Practice developed by the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Expert Working Group[2].
The AIRE assesses research submissions with respect to:
- Alignment with the mission and mandate of the Aphasia Institute (see below)
- Scholarly merit
- Risk of harm
- Impact on the Aphasia Institute
The Aphasia Institute’s Vision & Mission
Vision: There are no barriers to living successfully with aphasia
Mission: Give hope to people with aphasia and their families by developing and sharing innovative solutions that reduce language barriers to full life participation
To download submission guidelines and related forms, click:
Research Guidelines & Submission Instructions
Ethics Review Submission Checklist & Form
Submission Deadlines & AIRE Committee Meeting Dates
Questions?
Contact research@aphasia.ca or 416-226-3636 ext.133
Request to Post Recruitment Flyers
Guidelines
This section is for external researchers who just wish to post research recruitment flyers for the Aphasia Institute’s community (e.g., on social media / bulletins) without further support from Aphasia Institute staff regarding recruitment or data collection.
To download related form, click:
Application Form – Requests to Post Research Information
Questions?
Contact research@aphasia.ca or 416-226-3636 ext.133
Aphasia-friendly Forms for Research
Creating aphasia-friendly pictographic information is a complex process often requiring multiple iterations to arrive at the ‘easy-to-understand’ essential elements.
Suggestions for creating your own aphasia-friendly communications for research:
- Visual contrast
- Information density (‘white space’ is particularly important but also font size & style, spacing & margins)
- Readability (reading level, writing style, plain language principles)
- Use of appropriate graphics/picture materials (see note on ParticiPics, below)
- Organization of ideas (Clear simple design and effective use of headings)
- Ideally obtain direct feedback from people with aphasia on clarity of your message
Pictographic Informed Consent Form for Research – Sample
More Resources
Note: You will be prompted to register a free ParticiPics account prior to downloading images.
Acknowledgements: This searchable library of pictographs has been made free courtesy of a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Note: Understanding the complexity of the development process and need for experience, the Aphasia Institute can sometimes assist with creation of an aphasia-friendly research form. However, our capacity is limited. If you require this service and we are able to help, fees are determined on a project-by-project basis based on cost-recovery.
If this service is required, please send the following information to research@aphasia.ca to initiate your inquiry and fee discussion:
- Your key document with all main points
- Your draft consent form in aphasia-friendly format (i.e., simple language)
Aphasia Institute Research & Ethics (AIRE) Committee
To learn more about the Aphasia Institute Research & Ethics (AIRE) Committee, click here.
Previously Supported Research Projects
Examples of previous research projects reviewed and supported by the Aphasia Institute Research & Ethics (AIRE) Committee, include:
‘Conversational Approaches to Aphasia Therapy: A Comparative Study’. Doctoral dissertation project by Brent Archer, Ph.D., University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
(AI-QRE #2015-05)
‘Reversing physiological dysfunction with non-invasive brain stimulation’. Study led by Dr. Jed Meltzer, Baycrest Health Sciences – Rotman Research Institute.
(AI-QRE #2017-09)
‘Can we enhance aphasia treatment with working memory training? A feasibility study’. Study led by Dr. Elizabeth Rochon, University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine – Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute.
(AI-QRE #2018-01)
[1] The Tri-Council Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans is the document that describes the policies of Canada’s three major federal research granting bodies: the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
[2] The ICH is a partnership between the European, Japanese, and American pharmaceutical industries and the applicable regulatory authorities. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is an international standard of scientific and ethical quality that applies to the designing, recording and reporting of research that involves human participants.