Modified: 2007-01-21
Formal regulations and processes apply to the planning and conduct of research. All institutions in the United States that receive federal funds and conduct research are required to have an institutional review board (IRB). IRBs meet to review proposed research that is submitted by a researcher. Membership of IRBs includes faculty members with appropriate research expertise, other faculty members, and representatives from outside the institution. Sometimes, students are members too. During its deliberations, the IRB assesses whether participants are truly giving informed consent, anticipates risks and benefits to participants, and reviews how the data will be safeguarded, among other things. IRB review is pervasive. Most journals now require authors to stipulate in writing that the research submitted was approved by an IRB. Most colleges and universities have one or more IRBs, although they are sometimes called human subjects committees, animal subjects committees, institutional animal care and use committees, or other similar names. Depending on your institution’s IRB rules, you may have to submit your personal research to an IRB. If you are required to submit your proposal, take heart from the report of Kallgren and Tauber (1996). They found that undergraduates who submitted research proposals to an IRB viewed the experience positively and believed that the process improved their research.