Considerations Related to Oral Histories

Some, but not all, Oral History projects require IRB review and approval. 

This document, an excerpt from Columbia Universities IRB policies, provides helpful information for this consideration. 

As a rule of thumb, you can use the following two questions to guide you:

If you answer NO to each the questions below, then your project does not need review.

If you answer YES either of them, it needs review.

• Does the project seek to contribute to generalizable knowledge?

• Does the project pose more than minimal risk to participants?

Even if your project does not need IRB review, you should follow all ethical guidelines that are considered best practice in the field. You can find a summary of these guidelines at the website of the Oral History Association.