Undergraduate Research Institute

What is the IRB?

The Internal Review Board (IRB) exists to protect research subjects or participants. The IRB assesses the risks and benefits of participation by the human subjects, and seeks to ensure that the research benefit(s) outweighs the risks involved. The IRB assesses the consent process to ensure that subjects are fully aware of the risks and the benefits, and that they participate in the project voluntarily. The IRB needs to be approved prior to any research taking place.

The IRB process consists of an application to explain the project and to discuss any potential harm that could come to the research subjects. There are three different applications for IRB. There is the Exempt Review form, Expedited Review form, and the Full Board Review form. The Exempt form is used for projects that will cause minimal harm to subjects and does not deal with subjects that are protected. The Expedited form is used for projects that will cause minimal harm to subjects and may use video or audio equipment. Full Board Review forms are used for projects that may cause harm or deal with protected subjects. Please see the Virginia Tech IRB website for more information on these forms and policies. Barring any discrepancies or changes, plan on the IRB approval process taking up to 2 weeks.

Students proposing to engage in human subject research must have a faculty member as an advisor under whose supervision the research will be conducted. That Faculty Advisor's name and contact information must be listed on the review form as the Principal Investigator, and the student can be listed as the Co-Investigator.

Depending on your discipline, your department may have a separate human subjects protocol process. Please be sure to discuss this with your advisor in advance. For more information on the Virginia Tech IRB process please visit the Virginia Tech IRB website.