FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who needs to get Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval?
    Anyone who does research with human subjects needs to go through the IRB process.

  • What kinds of research methodologies are included?
    1. Surveys (includes email and web based surveys)
    2. Interviews
    3. Experiments
    4. Focus Groups
  • What studies do not need IRB approval?
    1. Student field assignments
    2. Data collected for internal use on campus, including data collected from students for pedagogical purposes (not to be published)
  • What is the process for IRB approval?
    There are two parts to the process outline:
    1. Certification
    2. Submission of an application
  • How will I get the forms and other information?
    Forms and information about Certification and the Submission process are available in the Forms and How To sections of this website.

  • If my co-author isn't IRB certified (because they are at another university which has no IRB certification process), how do I apply for IRB approval?
    The study can be approved as long as the Principal investigator is certified. In order for a co-author to participate, he/she must have certification. Most universities have (or have affiliations with) some sort of IRB or ethics board through which they can receive training or certification. If there is absolutely nothing at their institution, they can log on and take the CITI course by inserting the principal investigator’s name in place of the Emory ID#.

  • If I am already applying for IRB approval at Emory, under what circumstances do I have to notify another IRB about a study?
    You would contact the other IRB if:
    1. You planned to conduct research at their university
    2. You were receiving funding from that university
    3. The PI was from that university
    4. In any case, if there is any involvement or affiliation with another institution, you will need to find out what the policies are at the other institution.