Full Proposals

When a proposal is not eligible for expedited review, it must be reviewed by the convened board at one of its regularly scheduled meetings.

The current Full Proposal Form is at the Tab, Full Proposal Form (see link on the left). You should be able to submit a complete submission by carefully filling out this form and attaching consent forms, research instruments, and other required materials (such as recruiting materials).

Because research proposals vary in content and purpose, the Full Proposal Form may not meet all researchers' needs. If you do not feel that your proposal is not adequately represented by the form, please access instructions on submitting a more "unique" proposal HERE. Be sure to address all of the information needs detailed in these instructions.

Proposals involving the use of deception

Research deception occurs when research subjects are provided false or misleading information as part of the study design. Research deception requires waiving some of the elements of informed consent. Deception is permissible under federal regulations. Such proposals must be reviewed by the convened IRB. A succinct discussion of research deception is provided by the IRB of Oregon State University.

For approval of a proposal involving deception, the researcher must include a discussion of the use of deception and comply with the language of §46.116(d) which states the following.

An IRB may approve a consent procedure which does not include, or which alters, some or all of the elements of informed consent set forth in this section, or waive the requirements to obtain informed consent provided the IRB finds and documents that:

• The research involves no more than minimal risk to the subjects;

• The waiver or alteration will not adversely affect the rights and welfare of the subjects;

• The research could not practicably be carried out without the waiver or alteration; and

• Whenever appropriate, the subjects will be provided with additional pertinent information after participation.

Simply stated, it is the responsibility of the researcher to return the research subject to the pre-experimental state. For example, if the deception involved providing false information to a research subject, a debriefing of the subject would be necessary wherein the researcher explained the nature of the deception, why it was used, and ensured that the subject understood what false information had been present in the study scenario.

The Use of Lab Agreements

Student researchers often serve as co-investigators on projects for which a faculty member serves as the Principal Investigator or the "PI". Principal Investigators will often develop and use lab agreements to ensure that student co-investigators working on the research project conform to the standards of the PI for the operation of the research lab. Confidentiality is a subject often addressed in lab agreements, as student co-investigators with access to information on research subjects are not allowed to share information on subjects outside of the lab. An example of a lab confidentiality agreement can be accessed HERE.