IRB PROJECT REVIEW IS REQUIRED FOR:
Listed below are some categories of projects which would normally be filed with the John Carroll University IRB.
I. SURVEY, INTERVIEW, FOCUS GROUP, & OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH
Most survey, interview, focus group, and observational research involving human subjects should be reviewed by the IRB.
II. EVALUATION RESEARCH
The IRB will review evaluation projects such as those which collect data on a new course, technique, or pilot study to assess the effectiveness of the method or material, especially if the results are likely to be presented or published. The IRB will not review standard course evaluations. See also Departmental Research.
III. ORAL HISTORY
The IRB will review some oral history projects for risk of harm or loss of privacy to the subject. Projects must be considered as research resulting in generalizable knowledge. Single subject oral history projects do not fall under IRB jurisdiction because they are not generalizable.
Items of consideration during a review of oral history projects would include:
- Who is being interviewed (any members of a special population group?);
- The topic of the interview (anything likely to cause distress or loss of privacy?);
- What will be done with the tapes from the interview (destroyed? made publicly available?);
- Is the subject fully informed of the content and intent of the project and the disposition of the tapes?
The IRB does not want to prevent research but does want to ensure that research is conducted ethically with full informed consent of the subject as appropriate.
IV. RESEARCH ON EXISTING DATA
If you are conducting research on human subjects through the study
of already existing non-public data, documents, or records, the
project must be reviewed by the IRB. If the secondary data is taken
from a publicly available source (e.g., published census data or
test scores; newspaper articles), you do not need to file with the
IRB. See Exempt Category 4.
V. THESIS & ESSAY RESEARCH
IRB approval is necessary for human subject research which will result in publication in a graduate or senior student essay or thesis. NOTE: the project cannot be started until IRB approval has been obtained.
VI. STUDENT PROJECTS
Independent and internship research projects involving human subjects
to be conducted by graduate or undergraduate students are normally
reviewed by the IRB. Approval must be obtained before the project
can be initiated. If the student is working on an established project
already approved by the host institution's IRB (e.g., at the Cleveland
Clinic), the student should submit a copy of the approval memo with
the request for credit or with the thesis/essay. See also question
19 on the JCU IRB FAQ List.
VII. CLASSROOM PROJECTS
In most cases, class projects involving human subjects are not intended
to contribute to generalizable knowledge and therefore are not covered
under the federal regulations for IRBs. However, IRB approval should
be obtained for class research projects if (1) data will be collected
from a human subject (e.g., opinions, behaviors, feelings, personal
information), regardless of the sensitivity of the data, AND (2)
the results of the classroom research project will contribute to
generalizable knowledge (e.g., by publishing -- including master’s
theses; presenting outside the class; citing in another paper; poster
presentations). See also questions 16-18 on the JCU
IRB FAQ List.
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