Institutional Review Board (IRB)
About the Institutional Review Board
Federal regulations require institutions receiving federal funding to establish an IRB to review research involving human participants.
The primary federal regulations governing human subjects research is known as the "Revised Common Rule" or "Final Rule" enacted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2017, which establishes requirements for informed consent, IRB review, and participant protections.
Any personal information that is collected from residents of European Union nations - regardless of whether it is collected for research purposes or other university activities - is also governed by the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.
About St. Cloud State University’s IRB
The St. Cloud State University Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a federally mandated compliance committee that oversees research involving human participants. SCSU maintains a Federalwide Assurance (FWA #00002648) with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), demonstrating the university’s commitment to conducting research in accordance with federal ethical and regulatory standards.
The IRB is responsible for the review and approval of research involving human participants conducted by St. Cloud State University students, faculty, and staff to ensure the rights, welfare, privacy, and safety of human participants are protected. Through its protocol review process, the IRB helps researchers conduct ethical and responsible research while ensuring compliance with applicable federal regulations, university policies, and best practices in human subjects protection.
IRB members are appointed by the University President and represent a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise. The IRB meets monthly during the academic year to review research protocols and support the ethical conduct of human subjects research.
IRB Process Overview
If you are conducting research or other investigations involving human participant:
- Determine if you need IRB Approval
- Complete your CITI training for human subjects research
- Prepare supporting documents.
- Login to IRB Portal for all SCSU Researchers and complete the IRB Protocol, upload associated supporting document, and submit to the IRB.
- Upon approval of your protocol, begin recruitment for your work using the IRB-approved forms.
- Complete annual renewals and protocols/revision forms in IRB Portal for all SCSU Researchers when needed.