Institutional Review Board Purpose

The purpose of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to review research done on our campus and/or by our campus members to assure that the researcher is protecting the interests of the research participants. This review is conducted within the context of Federal policies of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and specifically 45 CFR 46. EMU’s IRB is guided by the governing principles of the Belmont Report, available on the HHS web site.

This includes disclosing any possible risk to participants (physical, emotional, employability, etc.) and disclosing how the data will be used and disseminated – particularly the possibility that data might be linked to personal identity.

Institutional Review Board Policy and Procedures

All research on living, human subjects conducted by EMU faculty, staff or students, or research conducted by outside researchers and using EMU faculty, staff or students as participants, must be reviewed by the IRB to assure the protection of the participants.

Individual researchers are responsible for learning about EMU’s IRB policy and for submitting a research proposal form and appropriate supporting material to the IRB. Researchers are also responsible for learning about the university’s policies and procedures related to research misconduct, as described in the EMU Research Misconduct Policy Statement.

Are you a student?

If you are an EMU student conducting this research for a course requirement, you must review your research with your faculty advisor and obtain his or her signature on the “Faculty Approval of Student Research” form. You will need to scan this signed form and attach it to your online IRB proposal. The instructor’s approval is an affirmation that your research meets the ethical guidelines described in the IRB policy.

Four Steps to Submit a Proposal to the IRB

1. Read the EMU IRB policy.
2. Use the decision tree to guide you in determining if you need to submit a proposal, and if so, what type.
3. Complete researcher training, if necessary.
4. Prepare your documents and submit your proposal, using the instructions on our proposal submission page.

Research proposals requiring full Board review will only be considered if received at least seven days before a scheduled IRB meeting. Please see the schedule of meetings for more information.