Many faculty members prioritize giving their students real-world experience in their courses. Sometimes, that experience comes from conducting interviews (for example with members of their family, other students, faculty, or community members). Sometimes, that experience comes from designing and implementing experiments in which other students participate. Depending on the assignment’s specific requirements, your students may need IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval before doing their research as part of the assignment. 

• If you anticipate having your students participate in human subjects research as part of your course (e.g., conducting interviews or experiments with people outside of the class), consider reaching out to the IRB  ([email protected]) as early as possible to determine whether IRB approval will be needed; please include in your email a synopsis of the proposed activity, sources of funding for the study (if any), the purpose, the procedures, and any draft measurements (survey, questionnaire, and interview guide).
• If IRB approval is needed, you will be asked to submit a new study application via eRIA. 
• Most studies at Princeton University pose minimal risk to subjects and are reviewed within ten business days of submission. The IRB meets once a month to review studies that may pose greater than minimal risk to subjects. Depending on the nature of the research, approval may take up to eight weeks making it difficult (if not impossible) to secure and implement the activity if the proposal is initiated during the semester.
• Students enrolled in a course where they actively take part in an IRB-approved study as research personnel must complete IRB training prior to starting the research. As the training takes time to complete, it can be beneficial to state this requirement on the syllabus and make completion of the training a formal course assignment. 
• In addition to the IRB training, you may want to devote class time to discussion of interview or experiment ethics, etiquette, and best practices.
• McGraw Center staff are happy to provide pedagogical support to frame the process of pursuing an IRB protocol in alignment with your course learning goals. Reach out to Senior Associate Director, Jessica Del Vecchio at [email protected].

Additional Institutional Review Board assistance:

• If you are unsure whether your activity is human subjects research, email a synopsis to the IRB (see above for details).
• Visit Princeton’s Human Research Protection Program website and the Frequently Asked Questions section.
• Speak with someone about your IRB application, by calling the IRB at 609-258-0865. 
• Request to meet with an IRB representative in-person or via Zoom, by emailing the IRB ([email protected]).