List four steps of creating the IRB proposal. Explain why each step is necessary for the committee to approve a proposal.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: The IRB proposal should include a statement that the project is research and define it as such. This is pretty obvious since the IRB does not need to deal with class assignments and studies that do not actually involve human subjects (for example, archival research or other indirect methods like studying graffiti on walls). Second, the proposal should state the aim or purpose of the research so that the committee members can know what the study is about and form a general conclusion about the worth of the research. Third, the proposal should include copies of the informed consent and the measures that will be used. The committee members cannot approve a study if they do not know exactly what is being done and that safeguards are in place for participants to know their rights. Finally, the proposal should contain evidence of a debriefing if needed. In our classes, we just take the safe route—everyone has to have a debriefing. Since participants do not keep the informed consent forms in most cases (the researchers collect those for evidence of consent), the participants need something to take with them that includes contact numbers for the researchers and others whom they could contact if they have problems with the research. There are more steps to the IRB proposal, but these are among the most crucial. I want to add that the step I find most important is proof of training. While the online tutorials are only a first step, they are a step to make sure the person doing the proposing has some idea of ethical standards—and the first step is an important one!