Human Subjects Research in the U.S.

Institutional Review Boards (IRB's)

• Because we will be examining student work -- individually and collectively -- and posting the work or our conclusions from student work publicly, it might be construed as research.

• Any institution receiving U.S. federal funds that carries out research involving human subjects must have all research proposals screened by an Institutional Review Board before the research can begin.

• The IRB is composed of faculty, clinicians, and lay people. In small institutions (such as liberal arts colleges and community colleges) the IRB is sometimes one person.

• The IRB reviews all human subjects applications to protect subject safety and welfare. In particular, the IRB looks at:

  • subject risk
  • voluntary and non-coerced subject recruitment and participation
    No extra credit, only small cash incentives ($10), ...
  • data confidentiality: important to anonymize all student work! No personal identifiers!
  • informed consent

Applying for Human Subjects Research

• Find out who your IRB point of contact is, and ask for what forms are required. You will probably asked to write:

  1. A letter of application for Human Subjects approval, (usually a few pages)

  2. A consent form (for students to sign)

• There is significant local variation in the application process. Times from beginning to approval can vary from 2 days to 6 months. For most of you, one week should suffice.
• Here is a Sample application and its associated consent form.

After Applying for Human Subjects Research

1. Make sure not to publicly post any student work without 1) IRB approval of your application and your consent form, and 2) the student's explicit written permission on the consent form.