Institutional Review Board

   

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) protects the rights of human subjects participating in research and reduces the amount of risk the researcher and the College take regarding human subject research studies.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The IRB is a federally mandated committee that approves human subject research.

 

2024-2025 Academic Year IRB Committee Members

  • Dr. Katherine Andrews (chair)                 
  • Dr. Aaron Godlaski
  • Dr. Drew Morris (Secretary)
  • Dr. KatieAnn Skogsberg
  • Ms. Allison Ramsey (Community Representative)
  • Dean Ellen Goldey (Institutional Signatory)

 

Role of the IRB

  • The purpose of Centre's Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the rights of human subjects participating in research, and to reduce the amount of risk the College takes on by sponsoring research involving human subjects.
  • The IRB is required by federal law to provide oversight to all studies that gather information from human subjects. Researchers are urged to discuss their projects with a member of the IRB before collecting any data.
  • The IRB does not handle non-human animal research, please contact IACUC for those applications

 

When do I need IRB approval for my data collection?

If you are unsure whether your research requires IRB approval, please contact one of the members of the committee.

 

  • Laboratory/Field Data Collection: Most laboratory and field research which requires human participation requires IRB approval. Common disciplines that apply for IRB approval include Anthropology, Biology, Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, and Economics.

 

  • Students’ Classroom Data: Data collected by students as part of a class project may require IRB approval if the data is presented outside of the classroom and/or the information collected by students in private/sensitive or goes beyond a simple survey. Common example of sensitive data include answers to questions about criminal activity, sexual activity, victims of violence, emotional content, alcohol or drug, personal health, or any identifiable information such as names or birthdate.

 

  • Professors’ Classroom Data: Data collected by a professor from their own students may require IRB approval if the professor plans for the data to be published or presented at an academic conference.

 

  • Campus Surveys: Large campus surveys with the potential for data to be shared outside the institution or used for marketing should be approved by the IRB. This includes surveys related to grants and special projects.

 

Applying for IRB approval

  • Before data collection or applying for IRB approval, all researchers who are working with participants or participant data must complete research ethics training. This includes the primary investigator, all student researchers, and faculty mentors for student research. This can be completed for free through the CITI Program. If this is already completed, you can skip to step 5 below.

     

    1. Visit this website: https://about.citiprogram.org/

    2. Click register in the upper right corner and provide the information required to create an account

    • Centre College is your organization affiliate
    • Fill out the basic information
    • Click NO for CE credits
    • Your role will likely be Student Researcher, most information is optional
    • Question 1: Student or Faculty
    • Question 2: Leave blank
    • Question 3: Choose your field, SBE is most common
    • Question 4: The Information Privacy course is optional

     

    3. Complete the modules that are assigned to you

    4. Once the modules are completed, you should write down your CITI ID number for use on the research application. This is found in the upper right corner when you are logged into your account.

    5. Submit an IRB application by clicking HERE

    • Because IRB applications may require review and edits from several members of the committee, we respectfully ask that you submit your proposal no less than thirty (30) days in advance of your intended project start date. Many applications are expedited due to the determination of exempt status, but we cannot guarantee faster approval.
    • Investigators must immediately report any unanticipated adverse effects, events, other problems involving risks to subjects to the IRB Chair.

Forms and Documents

Each completed application must include one of the following documents

  1. In Person Consent Form
  2. Online Survey Consent Form 
  3. Request for Waiver of Documentation of Consent

Forms and Documents can be access HERE

Resources

Institutional Review Board Links