Institutional Review Board
How to Prepare a Proposal for
Review
Preparing an IRB protocol for review
Troy University has assured the federal government that
it will comply with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
regulations for the protection of research participants, 45 CFR 46.
Troy University has agreed that research activities involving human
participants, regardless of sponsorship, will be reviewed by the IRB
when one or more of the following apply:
- the research is sponsored by this institution, or
- the research is conducted by or under the direction
of any employee or agent of this institution in connection with his or
her institutional responsibilities, or
- the research is conducted by or under the direction
of any employee or agent of this institution using any property or
facility of this institution, or
- the research involves the use of this institution's
non-public information to identify or contact human research
participants or prospective participants.
Steps to Take to Prepare for Review
1. Complete the online training program. Have your
results emailed to the IRB Office at irb@troy.edu.
2. Read the FAQ page.
If you have any additional questions, contact your
College or Site representative (see Committee
Members page) or the IRB Office.
3. Complete the "Application for Institutional
Review Board Review" form.
4. Create and include in the form or append any
and all necessary additional documents.
- Informed Consent Documents
Unless you are not collecting names or any other identifying
information from the participants, or have been notified by the IRB
that you do not need an informed consent document.
- Grant Proposals Whenever funding
for a protocol is being sought from any source, whether on or off
campus, one copy of the grant proposal must be attached.
- Thesis & dissertation research When
research is being conducted for a student's thesis or dissertation, one
copy of the complete Methods Section should be attached.
- Research instruments Attach
one copy of any survey, questionnaire, and/or interview questions that
are not published. Published materials can be incorporated by providing
a full citation to the materials. Graphical and verbal stimuli, if not
completely described on the IRB application form, should be attached or
a complete citation provided.
- Debriefing Whenever
deception is involved as part of the research or information is
withheld from a participant prior to or during the research, this
information must be disclosed to the participant at the close of the
research either verbally or in writing. A copy of this statement must
be attached.
- Advertisements If
participants will be obtained through advertisements, attach a copy of
the ad as part of your IRB submission.
- Certificates of confidentiality When
data are being collected about sensitive issues (such as illegal
behavior, alcohol or drug use, or sexual practices or preferences),
Principal Investigators may consider applying for a certificate of
confidentiality. Under Federal law, researchers can obtain an advance
grant of confidentiality that will provide protections against a
subpoena for research data [Public Health Service Act 30l(d)].
Protection will be granted sparingly and only when the research is of a
sensitive nature and where the protection is judged necessary to
achieve the research objectives. See the Information about
Certificates of Confidentiality page for more information.
For information on how to obtain a Certificate, see the Certificates of Confidentiality
Contacts page.
5. Have your supervisor (supervising faculty
member if you are a student) review and sign the form.
6. Email your application with ALL attachments, in
one document if possible, to the irb@troy.edu. Mail or fax a hard
copy of the signature page to the IRB office (218 GAB, Troy University,
Troy, AL 36082, fax: 334-670-3291).
