Institutional Review Board (IRB)

This document outlines the procedures for in-person human participant research activities at Ithaca College.  As part of human interaction, COVID-19 transmission is still considered an inherent risk.  Investigators need to acknowledge COVID-19 transmission as a potential risk for participants and the strategies for mitigating this transmission risk using the guidelines outlined in the document. 

NOTE: These guidelines are based on our current COVID-19 status and may change as the situation evolves. 

• More than minimal risk to participants - identification of the participants and/or their responses would reasonably place them at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the participants' financial standing, employability, insurability, reputation, or be stigmatizing.

• Research involving vulnerable populations (e.g. children, people who are incarcerated, people with cognitive impairments, and socially, economically, or educationally disadvantaged people, etc.)

Standard applications must be reviewed by the full board at a designated meeting (see the schedule of meetings). Don't forget to attach all sure instruments! 

CLICK BELOW TO ACCESS THE APPENDICES:

1. Recruitment Statement - Appendix A

2. Informed Consent Form - Appendix B

• Research projects in which the likelihood of harm or discomfort is not greater than that encountered in daily life or during the performance of a routine physical or psychological test is subject to expedited review.

• The project does not involve sensitive topics or confidential information that could place a participant at risk if disclosed.

Expedited review applications can be sent in at any time. The review time is 7 business days.

Items 1-2 as well as any survey instruments must be submitted through Axiom Mentor to be reviewed. Once Expedited Applications are reviewed and approved, they no longer need to be reviewed annually unless there are changes to the study.

CLICK BELOW TO ACCESS THE APPENDICES:

1. Recruitment Statement - Appendix A

2. Informed Consent Form - Appendix B

Exempt Proposals will now be sent through Axiom Mentor. The IRB chair determines project exemption. Even if an investigator expects that a project will be exempt, he/she/they must submit it for review.

IF NOT REQUESTING A WAIVER OF INFORMED CONSENT (IN APPLICATION) THEN YOU WILL NEED TO ADD A:

Recruitment Statement - Appendix A

Informed Consent Form - Appendix B

Please note that some exempt applications require an additional step in the review process. This is called a Limited Review. The goal of this review is to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect the confidentiality and privacy of research participants. There are no additional forms for this new step in the exempt review process.

THE FOLLOWING ARE TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT CAN BE REVIEWED UNDER THE DELEGATED REVIEW:

• Anonymous pencil and paper questionnaires, participants age 18 or older.

• Anonymous online surveys, participants age 18 or older.

• Face to face interviews in which is no greater than minimal risk, participants age 18 or older.

• Observational studies in which there is no greater than minimal risk, participants age 18 or older.

Applications must be submitted with the items below through Axiom Mentor.

TRAINING REQUIREMENT:

Please note that faculty applying for delegated review status must complete CITI training. CITI Training must be renewed every three years.

1. Recruitment Statement - Appendix A

2. Informed Consent Form - Appendix B

3. Student Project Summary Template – to be included with the application packet – Each one of your students should submit this template for your review. Please include a copy of this one-page template with your application - you are free to revise the template.

4. A list of topics that students will be doing is also required as an attachment.

5. A separate proposal should be submitted for each type of overarching method that student researchers might utilize (questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, focus groups, etc.)

Instructors of research methods courses (or similar) in which multiple student projects are completed in a semester may request permission from IRB to review those projects on the Board's behalf.

THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF PROJECTS CANNOT BE APPROVED VIA DELEGATED REVIEW:

• Studies of protected populations (those under age 18, those with impaired decision-making ability, prisoners, etc.).
• Studies in which physical, psychological, economic, social, or legal risks are more than minimal (i.e., questions that may introduce substantial emotional strain, questions that involve reporting of illegal behavior).
• Experiments
• Studies of protected populations or with more than minimal risk.

These students MUST go through the IRB review process.