Institutional Review Board (IRB)

IRB News

February 2021 - Collaborating on Research with other Institutions

Many research projects involve people from several institutions, and it can be hard to figure out which IRB you need to use for approvals. The answer will depend on your role in the research project.

  1. Jhoti is new faculty at SCSU and the co-PI on a research project with two colleagues from her prior university.

    When PIs on a project are at different institutions, only one needs to review the protocol. Either Jhoti can submit this to SCSU’s IRB, or her colleagues can submit it to their university’s IRB. Either way, the protocol approval should be sent to the non-reviewing IRB to keep on file.
  2. Sylvan works in a study-abroad office. They receive an email about a study examining student academic performance during semesters at their home college versus abroad. The researchers would like for students who studied abroad to complete an anonymous survey about their experiences and their grades.

    Sylvan isn’t a researcher on this study; their role is simply in distributing the study information to a group of potential participants. They do not need to submit anything to the SCSU IRB (but it’s a good idea to ensure the researchers have IRB approval from their institution!)
  3. Carlo graduated last year with his Master’s degree in occupational therapy and is in private practice. He wants to continue his thesis research with his advisor.

    Carlo is no longer a student at the university, but he also does not have an IRB or research review board at his current job. He has a couple options:
    1. Have his thesis advisor serve as co-PI and submit the protocol to the university IRB
    2. Contract with a private IRB or state research review board to provide approvals

If you’re ever in doubt about whether you need to submit a protocol, reach out to the IRB for assistance! You can find many answers on our website, www.stcloudstate.edu/irb.