You may have heard that there are different review procedures for research with human subjects, depending upon the research activity and the level of risk. They are (1) review for exemption, (2) expedited review, and (3) full review. It's important to know that exempt research is research with human subjects and must include provisions for protecting research subjects, such as fully informing them about the proposed research.

This Undergraduate Student Application for Protocol Approval is to be used for all three review procedures. When we receive the application, we will determine what type of review your protocol needs.

Review Procedures

As noted in the Application for Protocol Approval, you should first submit your protocol in electronic form to the IRB staff. Staff members will provide feedback using tracked changes and comments. When the application is ready for review, there are three possibilities:

1. If it qualifies for review as exempt research, the Director of the IRB program is authorized to approve the application.
2. If it is not exempt, but qualifies for expedited review, one member of the IRB can approve the application. Exempt and expedited reviews can be done at any time.
3. If subjects will have to accept more than minimal risk to participate in your study, your application will be reviewed by the full IRB. Although most student research does not need full review, consult the IRB staff if you think yours might. Applications for full review must be submitted two weeks before the committee meets: IRB meeting schedule.