Institutional Review Boards in LAC

Having IRB clearance is the responsibility of each Principal Investigator (PI). PIs must have their project approved by an ethical board before they start any kind of data collection. As per J-PAL's research protocols, all projects funded or implemented by J-PAL must receive approval from an IRB for primary and secondary data collection. As of March 2021, all studies for which an evaluation summary is written and posted on the J-PAL website must have received IRB approval.

At the J-PAL LAC office, we have disposed of a set of resources to assist the professors of our network in the IRB process.

What are J-PAL's research protocols and why do we need an IRB?

This document is a research protocol checklist provided by J-PA, outlining the required and recommended processes and procedures for conducting RCTs through J-PAL.

The checklist includes both Minimum Must Do's (MMDs) and suggested Best Practices (BPs) for ensuring compliance and data security.
It covers various stages of the research project, including project inception, implementation, and wrap-up.
Focus on obtaining IRB approval, data encryption, informed consent, training of enumerators, and secure data storage and disposal methods.

The J-PAL LAC office offers support for adherence to the protocols and keeps track of compliance on a monthly basis

J-PAL Research Protocols 2023-02.pdf

What kind of protocols should be observed when working with data collection firms?

J-PAL standards have to be observed not only when field activities are directly led and implemented by the research team, but also observed when these processes are outsourced to external firms.

Here we highlight the kind of quality checks that have to be negotiated and included in the contracts with survey firms.

MMDs WHEN OUTSOURCING DATA COLLECTION SERVICES.pdf

What is an IORG IRB and why is important?

Given the reputational risk that J-PAL has when promoting evidence from projects that collect data from human subjects, on April 5th, 2022, our executive committee decided that "every J-PAL project (funded, implemented, featured on our website, or counted as a J-PAL affiliate’s RCT) should receive its IRB from a university-based IORG-registered institution".

IORG means that IRBs are registered in the Office for Human Research Protection OHRP at the Department of Health and Human Services in the US.

This document is a step-by-step guide for host universities to complete this registration.

IRB Registration - IORG.pptx

Want to check if an IRB is IORG?

To check the status of an IRB at the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) of the Department of Health and Human Services. Use the following link:

Resources for applying to IRBs in the LAC region

New! Step-by-step guide to apply to

"Plataforma Brasil"

This document is a detailed guide to familiarize researchers with the IRB application process in Brazil.

Researchers conducting human subject research in Brazil should refer to this guide for a thorough understanding of the ethical review process on "Plataforma Brasil".

In addition to the step-by-step process, the guide contains useful materials to develop the protocol and information about informed consent and assent for children when applicable.

2025 Plataforma Brazil Application Guidelines.docx (1).pdf

Commercial IRB options available

Private centers that can review and provide ethical clearance to research projects.

Heartland - A J-PAL LAC project has been reviewed by this center. The process is very quick and straightforward. The price list has not changed. They charge USD 850 per project.
BRANY - reviews international development research.
HML - often used by the World Bank, and UN, etc
Solutions - it appears to have a very well-structured pipeline to review projects
Instituto de Estudios Peruanos - while the initial focus is on qualitative studies, they confirmed availability to review quantitative impact evaluations outside Peru.

IRB at the Catholic University of Chile

New! Need to apply to the IRB at the Catholic University, see this three-pager with key information to prepare your application. Also, a complete recording of the onboarding to the whole process of applying to this ethics commission is available here (in Spanish). The cost of the review after the project is cleared is of ~ USD 650.

For further questions, please contact Edivaldo Constantino.

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