Researcher Resources

Welcome to the Researcher Resources Website!

This site is created to provide researchers with easy access to resources relevant to the IRB process.

Does my research require an IRB review?

The answer depends on the details of your planned research procedure; thus, each proposal is reviewed separately to determine that.

1. As a rule, if your research project requires working with people (survey, observation, intervention, gathering data, samples, pictures, opinions, grades, students' learning experience, recording someone's voice, any sort of medical procedure, or working with medical records of living patients), without any doubt you need the IRB review. See The Review Levels and Vulnerable Populations for further details.

2. Working with data collections depends on the database. If you plan analysis of data that is publicly available on the Internet and stripped from any personal identifiers, such as World Bank Data, you do not IRB. However, if you get exclusive access to a database in a hospital, doctor's office, school records... anything that is not publicly available, or your data is linked to social media accounts, you need the IRB review. Once again, it depends on the details of your project. The IRB may decide to exempt your research from the full review, but only IRB can make that decision (not the Principal Investigator/you)

3. The assumption is that your project is classified as research (a systematic analysis designed to answer specific research questions based on prior knowledge, supported by a literature review, and undertaken in order to better understand or explore specific phenomena and contribute to knowledge). An interview for a newspaper, diagnosis in the doctor's office, or statistical analysis of grades by the teacher at the end of the semester is not research.

4. Historical data or information/records of deceased persons do not require IRB review.

I think my research requires an IRB review. What should I do?

The IRB process begins with your request addressed to the IRB to review your research protocol. To make it easier, we created an online, interactive IRB application. When using the application, you can be sure that you submit all the necessary information and attachments. We believe that this application is "researcher friendly" because

• The most common answers are checked by default so you save time on unnecessary clicking

• It is an interactive application that adjusts questions based on your answers so you do not need to read those that do not apply to your proposal

• You can save the application at any time and continue later

• It prompts to attach all the documents so you do not miss any

Key Elements of the IRB Review

Although the entire research protocol is subject to IRB approval, there are some key elements that the reviewer wants to focus on. The "key elements" include

1. Informed Consent

2. Vulnerable Populations

3. Solicitation Procedures

4. Data Storage and Protection

Two extra sections were dedicated to Online Surveys (do not miss the subpages!) and the CITI Certificate.

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