Institutional Review Board

The purpose of the Benedictine College Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to review research protocols to ensure that they comply with applicable regulations, meet established ethical standards, follow institutional policies, and adequately protect research participants. In so doing, the IRB takes direction for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) to remain compliant with that office’s regulations, 45 CFR part 46

All people acting in their capacity as Benedictine College faculty, students, and staff who are conducting research with human participants are bound by the requirements of this IRB, as are any entities not affiliated with Benedictine College who conduct research using Benedictine College students as participants. Researchers are expected to follow the guidelines provided below and on linked pages and must understand that no research involving human participants, including pilot testing, may commence without the approval of the IRB.

Registration & Assurances Of The Benedictine College IRB

  • The Benedictine College IRB is registered with the OHRP: IORG0010222; IRB00012143 (updated 01/19/2023)
  • Federalwide Assurance Number: FWA00028933 (expires 10/31/2024)

Does My Project Require IRB Approval?

If you are conducting research with human participants, you must secure approval from the IRB before initiating your research. The OHRP defines research as any activity involving human participants that involves a “systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” Activities that meet this definition may be funded or unfunded, or may be conducted as a component of another program not usually considered research. However, there are some endeavors involving human participants that fall outside of the OHRP’s definition of “research” and therefore do not require IRB approval:

  • Institutional research: Quality improvement and quality assurance activities conducted solely for the intent of maintaining or improving quality of services provided by an institution are not considered research activities.  However, if the data collected are generalizable and are to be shared outside of the institution through discussion, presentation, or publication, the activity qualifies as research.  Sometimes, data from a quality improvement or quality assurance activity become of interest to the external community after they have been analyzed.  In these cases, the research use of the data collected for another purpose must be reviewed.
  • Classroom activities/class assignments: Classroom activities may include instructing students in research methodologies and techniques.  If the sole purpose of the activity is to teach students research techniques or methodology and not to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge, it is not considered to be research.  However, if students will practice research methodologies on human beings, they should be instructed in the ethical conduct of such activities, should be advised to obtain informed consent from their practice subjects, and participants’ identifying information should not be connected to their responses.
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