Students are responsible to conduct research in a manner that protects the rights, privacy, and dignity of participants; recognizes the responsibilities of universities and other organizations to their students and clients; and reports findings accurately and thoughtfully. This requirement includes the need to obtain permissions from individuals and institutions with whom research will be conducted as required by law, ethical guidelines, and professional courtesy.
In addition, federal law applies to research with human and animal subjects. In accordance with this law, Azusa Pacific University has an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that is responsible to review investigations involving human subjects before any data are gathered. Guidelines and on-line forms relevant to this review may be found at https://apu.my.irbmanager.com/. Submissions to the IRB require approval of the dissertation chair and the Department Chair.
The dissertation proposal, including any instruments—surveys, measures, or interview protocols—must be approved by the full committee before the proposal is taken to the Department Chair for submission to the Institutional Review Board. Dissertation proposals must be formally approved by the Institutional Review Board before data-gathering may begin. The IRB proposal must be filed electronically and have the dissertation chair, Department Chair, and Dean's approval; it is wise for this process to coincide with the proposal defense.
Certification for Protection of Human Subjects
Certification for the protection of human subjects in research is required of the following groups prior to application to the IRB:
Faculty, staff, and students who intend to conduct research involving human subjects
All those who review the applications of researchers
Faculty who teach a course with a requirement for student research
In an effort to provide the most comprehensive training for researchers of human subjects, APU’s IRB now requires training and successful completion of the CITI Human Subjects Research course. This on-line course is free to APU faculty, staff, and students, and is divided into a number of modules. The site can be entered and exited at any time during the training. Once the site is accessed, a number of Learner Groups will be available and each one taking the course will chose the Learner Group appropriate for them.
To access the CITI site go to: www.citiprogram.org
There you will login and choose a password. Once you have submitted your member information you will be directed to the APU page. From there you can access the “Review Azusa Pacific University instructions page”. You will note that some modules are required and some are optional. Optional modules may be required if your research involves a particular topic or population. The IRB Coordinator is responsible to assign additional modules based on the research topic. Issues that may prompt additional modules include the following:
Vulnerable populations
International Research
Internet Research
Students
Cultural considerations
Once the CITI training is completed, the CITI Completion Report is valid for three years. You will receive a reminder from CITI when you are due to take a refresher course.
The IRB coordinator is available for any questions you might have. Please feel free to contact Martha Bellin at mbellin@apu.edu.