Who Must Apply for IRB Review

It is the policy of Saint Xavier University to comply with all federal regulations governing the protection of human subjects. In order to provide such protection and ensure ethical treatment of human subjects, Saint Xavier University requires all researchers conducting human subjects research at Saint Xavier University to apply for and receive IRB approval of their research protocol prior to the initiation of research activities and, for longitudinal studies of more than one year in duration, on a yearly basis thereafter until termination of the study. Specifically, Saint Xavier University requires IRB scrutiny of all research activities which, in whole or in part, involve human subjects if the research is sponsored by Saint Xavier University, or the research is conducted by or under the direction of any employee or agent of Saint Xavier University in connection with his or her institutional responsibilities, including unsponsored and externally funded scholarly human subjects research conducted by faculty, students and staff, or the research is conducted on any property or at any facility owned, leased or rented by Saint Xavier University, or the research involves the use of Saint Xavier University's nonpublic information to contact human research subjects or prospective subjects.

This policy includes all faculty, staff and students of Saint Xavier University even if their research is being conducted off-campus. It applies equally to full-time faculty, portion of full-time faculty, part-time faculty, full-time and part-time students and administrators and other employees of Saint Xavier University.

This policy also applies to researchers not affiliated with Saint Xavier University who wish to conduct human subjects research at Saint Xavier University or who solicit the help of Saint Xavier University faculty, staff or students to recruit or gain access to human subjects.

In all cases, it is the responsibility of the researcher to request and receive IRB approval prior to the initiation of any human subjects research activities. All applications for IRB review should be submitted to irbFREESXU, following the instructions listed on the Helpful Hints page.

SXU Institutional Activities That May Not Require Review by the IRB

The following activities do not necessitate SXU IRB approval: Course/Classroom teaching and Learning Projects, Institutional Program Evaluations, and Recommendations. These activities may contribute to the development of the institutional and discipline courses.

Course/Classroom teaching and Learning Projects

In many academic programs, courses didactic and practicum knowledge of research methods/methodology is essential for the student to apply the skill of research. Faculty may assign their students to design research projects to guide them in the steps of research. These projects do not require IRB review considering that the data will NOT be published or presented outside the classroom.

Institutional Program Evaluations

Administrators, faculty and staff may collect data from human subjects for purposes of program evaluation. These projects do not require IRB review considering that the data will NOT be published or presented outside the institution.

Recommendations

If an investigator is unsure about how data will be used, it is recommended to submit an application for IRB review. Although some projects do not qualify as "research", as defined by federal regulations, all activities must be conducted with the utmost regard for ethical standards and the welfare of human participants.