Student Research and the IRB

It is often difficult to determine when a student is engaged in research involving humans. Below is more information about when a student is or is not engaged in human participant research research. If you are unsure, it is best to contact IRB staff at compliance@cofc.edu before any data collection begins.

Is an IRB application needed for student research?

It depends. If you are working with living human participants, it is important to consider the intent of the research, the participants, and the nature of the survey/interview questions. 

When is a student engaged in research that requires submission to the IRB?

• Honors/master’s thesis, doctoral dissertation, independent student, under the supervision of a faculty member.
• Working with an external (non-CofC) PI conducting research that has been approved by the PI’s institution, if there have been modifications to the research (e.g., a new survey instrument) for the purpose of the student’s research.
• Research on vulnerable populations.
• Research on topics of a sensitive nature.

When is a student NOT engaged in research that requires submission to the IRB?

• Research does not leave classroom walls/for educational purposes only.
• Working with an external (non-CofC) PI conducting research that has been approved by the PI’s institution, as long as there have been no changes to the research for the student’s research purpose.
• Working with pre-existing dataset that is publicly available and does not contain personally identifiable information.

I'm still unsure if I need to submit an application, what do I do? 

If you are still unsure if you need to submit an applicaiton to the IRB, fill out the prescreening form here and IRB staff will get back to you within a week about how to proceed.

Resources for Student Researchers

• Students as Researchers Guidance
• Graduate Students- Recommended Timelines for Successful Graduate Student Research
• Undergraduate Students- Recommended Timelines for Successful Undergraduate Student Research
• See the Submit an Application to the IRB webpage for application instructions.
• Email compliance@cofc.edu for a Word version of the eForm questions to work on with your faculty sponsor. 

Resources for Faculty Sponsors of Student Researchers

• Faculty Sponsor of Graduate Student Survey
  • This is a copy of questions the faculty sponsor must answer prior to submitting the application to the IRB but is provided here as it is helpful for reviewing student research during the development phase.
• See the Submit an Application to the IRB webpage for application instructions.