It is important that any research that occurs on campus involving human subjects or participants undergoes IRB scrutiny because:

• Conducting ethical research requires the participant's voluntary informed consent. This means ensuring participants understand how their information will be used, who has access to it, the potential risks and benefits, how the subject was selected/identified, and the right to refuse participation without fear of reprisal.
• Research conducted without prior IRB approval is typically not considered for publication by peer-reviewed academic journals.
• Research that uses any amount of Federal grant money is required to be conducted with IRB approval.

Yes, if your project uses information gathered directly from human participants or any institutional/person-specific data you wish to distribute (research paper, publication, conference presentation, grant, etc). There is a specific section within the application for you to indicate if you are interested in gathering secondary or institutional data, but you must submit an application. Any methodology involving surveying, interviewing, conducting focus groups, or collecting biometric data, it must go through the IRB.

Please allow at least 6-weeks. If your study includes data-sharing or other colleges/universities, this process may take longer. This allows us to meet and discuss your application and ask you any follow-up or clarification questions before approving your study. The speed at which we can review your project heavily depends on when you submit and if the application is completed correctly. To avoid setbacks, make sure all appropriate documentation is included and answers are thorough. We need to be able to understand your methodology and how you will maintain data integrity/security in order to approve your study. If you need documentation stating your IRB is under review, please contact us at irb@slcc.edu.

The IRB committee meets on the fourth Monday of every month. Applications received no later than the second Monday of the month (2 weeks prior to the meeting) will be reviewed in that month. Applications received after the second Monday will be reviewed at the end of the following month.

The IRB committee will meet to discuss whether or not your project is exempt from full review. If exempt, one committee member will review your application. If not, it will require a review and vote from the entire committee. The available decisions are: rejected, pending revisions, or approved and will be provided within 3 days of the review meeting.

The first step of the application asks if you have sent in your supporting documentation to the IRB. This supporting documentation includes your Human Subjects Protocol training certificate, informed consent, and debriefing forms. The Human Subjects Protocol training certificate is required before your application can be processed. The other two documents typically take longer than expected if they are not already completed, which is why we request them upfront.

No, you only need to submit this once per researcher.

If you already have IRB approval - from SLCC or another institution - use the IRB Application form and select the appropriate response to the "Do you have an existing IRB approval?" question.

SLCC has subscribed to training through the Citi Program for IRB training. To sign up, follow these instructions. We do not have Single Sign On set up and you’ll need to add Salt Lake Community College as an Affiliated Institution.

After you click Finalize Registration, you’ll be able to View Courses for Salt Lake Community College. Here you should see the Social & Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research course.

If you do not see this course in your list, click “Learner Tools” by the Courses Ready to Begin header. Answer “Not at this time.” To each question except for Question 2 where you’ll need to choose “Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research.” Click Submit and now the course will show up in your list of Courses Ready to Begin.

After you complete the course, you will not need to provide proof of completion with your IRB application because we will be able to verify completion within the Citi Program’s website.