Research Compliance > IRB > IRB Program Guide
Human Subjects Research Institutional Review Board (IRB)
- Types of Review
- Applications and Forms
- Consent and Assent for Participants
- BSU Policies
- Definitions
- IRB Program Guide
- Training & Education - CITI Program
- FAQs
IRB Program Guide
Applicability for Human Subjects Research
All research projects in which human participants participate, whether funded or unfunded, are participant to the federal regulations governing such research, and to the policies and procedures outlined in the BSU Policy No. 6505-B "USE OF HUMAN PARTICIPANTS". Except for cooperative research projects which may be participant to review by another institution's IRB, all projects directed or co-directed by BSU faculty, students or staff must be reviewed and approved by BSU’s IRB. Such projects include individual or collaborative research projects, as well as any programmatic projects, class surveys or projects and student government activities with a research component.
Some projects assigned to students in a class may have a research component or constitute training in research methodology. If such projects may contribute to generalizable knowledge (e.g., through publication or dissemination of the findings) they are participant to the regulations and must undergo review. Classroom projects that are exclusively for instructional purposes need not undergo review by the IRB; however, instructors and students are encouraged to follow federal and University regulations when designing and conducting class projects with human participants.
Review and Signature of Faculty Supervisor (Student Research Only): All students initiated research involving human participants, whether dissertation, thesis, or other research projects, must be supervised by a faculty member. The faculty members’ signature on the student research protocol form attests that the research procedures comply with federal and University policies with regard to the protection of human participants.
For thesis or dissertation research, the signature of the faculty advisor is required, unless there appears to be a conflict of interest (e.g., the advisor is also the chair of the unit review committee.) If the faculty advisor is unable to sign, another member of the student's committee may sign.
It is always the responsibility of the principal investigator to obtain IRB approval prior to initiation of any research activity involving the use of human participants. Failure to do so may result in restrictions on the research activities of such individuals, as well as potentially endanger all federal funding to the University.
Effective August 18, 2007, the Boise State Institutional Review Board (IRB) will require that all principal investigators (PIs) and co-investigators conducting human subject research must successfully complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online training program (https://www.citiprogram.org) prior to submitting a protocol for consideration. This requirement will also apply to undergraduate and graduate students, and instructors who teach research methods and design courses or assign research as part of course requirements. Please note that human subject research includes, but is not limited to: surveys, analyzing prior collected data, observations of classrooms, interviewing, collection of biological specimens, videotaping, tape recording, observations of human behavior and cultures, collection of historical data, questionnaires or research that will be used, shared, presented at conferences, or published for purposes outside the Boise State campus. If course assignments are to be used for internal evaluation only, they do not qualify as research and do not require IRB review.
Effective August 18, 2007, the IRB will not permit students to serve as PIs on human subject protocols except in the cases of thesis and dissertation research activities. Students working on their thesis or dissertation may be designated as the project PI as long as their advisor is identified as the co-investigator. In all other circumstances, a faculty member and/or course instructor must be designated as the PI and the student as the co-investigator on all human subject research protocols.
Contact: HumanSubjects@boisestate.edu