Value of the Institutional Approval Process

Addressing IRB Concerns

Adhering to the Protocol

What is the primary purpose of securing institutional approval before beginning a research study?

A researcher may begin a study immediately after submitting a detailed research protocol to an oversight committee, provided they intend to adhere strictly to ethical standards.

Dr. Miller is planning a new laboratory study to investigate the effects of social media use on teenage self-esteem. To adhere to the requirements for Institutional Approval, in which order should Dr. Miller perform the following steps?

To obtain institutional approval, researchers must submit a protocol that allows an oversight committee to evaluate the ethical implications of their study. Match each specific research protocol detail with the ethical concern an Institutional Review Board (IRB) must analyze to determine if approval should be granted.

In addition to a formal oversight committee such as an Institutional Review Board (IRB), who else is explicitly authorized to provide the formal permission required for institutional approval in many academic settings?

To understand the institutional approval process, match each element of the ethical review with the description that best explains its role.

A researcher receives a notification from an oversight committee stating their study is 'Approved Pending Minor Revisions.' The researcher decides to start the study immediately, believing that the required changes to the consent form wording are a mere formality. In evaluating this decision against professional ethical standards, the researcher's action is considered unauthorized because they have not yet secured the final, formal _____ required before data collection begins.

Dr. Smith is conducting a psychology study on stress and memory. Because the study is for an undergraduate class and uses a low-risk online survey, she is permitted to begin administering the survey to classmates while waiting for her instructor to review and formally approve her research protocol.

An oversight committee such as an Institutional Review Board (IRB) evaluates research proposals to confirm they meet ethical standards. To facilitate this review, researchers must submit a detailed document describing the study's purpose, design, risks, benefits, and participant safeguards, which is known as a research _____.

Evaluate the following stages of the ethical research workflow. Order them chronologically to show how a researcher properly integrates institutional approval into their study from start to finish.

Describe the requirements for obtaining institutional approval before initiating a study, including who must grant permission and what document must be submitted to the oversight committee.

Evaluate Dr. Aris's decision. Explain why he is incorrect under the rules of institutional approval, and identify what specific step he must complete before administering his survey.

Suppose you are a student researcher planning a laboratory experiment for a psychology course. Apply the rules of institutional approval to describe the specific authorization you must obtain and the document you must draft to secure it before starting your experiment.