It’s difficult to convey everything you need to know to start an IRB at your institution in one document. Things will undoubtedly come up as you go along, some of which will be unique to your institution. However, here are a few of the more common IRB issues you should know.
Information Gathered Exclusively for Educational Purposes
Information gathered exclusively for educational purposes (i.e., not for outside dissemination), such as in-class student surveys or class projects, do not meet the regulatory definition of research and therefore do not require IRB approval. Even if the faculty or students do not submit an IRB proposal for these educational activities, faculty are still responsible for demonstrating appropriate and ethical conduct in research and for ensuring that their students do the same.
Investigators Must Recognize and Follow Additional Policies
Investigators must recognize and follow additional policies and/or requirements of their institution and/or other institutions (or local, state, or federal agencies, school districts, etc.) as needed in addition to meeting IRB regulations.
In some cases, investigators at other institutions may wish to involve your institution’s employees or students as research participants. Your institution should have a policy in place for determining when to allow use of your institution’s resources for a research project originating at another institution. For example, your institution may decide that the investigator’s home institution must first provide documentation of its IRB approval.
Similarly, if you want to use another institution’s or agency’s employees or students in a research project, you must find out what policy that institution follows. For example, if someone from College Y (CY) would like research access to students at Elementary School Z (ESZ), ESZ may have specific requirements prior to granting permission. School district policies vary, and other regulations may come into play when considering the conduct of research in schools.
Protecting Human Subjects
Again, the purpose of the IRB is to ensure protection of human subjects. It is not to judge the merits of a research proposal. If a proposal seems poorly conceived or incomplete, the IRB should not withhold approval if the proposal meets the regulatory guidelines for ethical treatment of its human participants. Just because you might do the study differently does not mean the proposal should not be approved. Relatedly, IRB members should not decline a proposal on the basis of political, religious, or moral perspectives that may be in conflict with the ideas presented in the research proposal.