The IRB reviews each application with consideration for the rights and welfare of the individuals involved, the balance of risks and potential benefits of the study, and the methods used to secure informed consent. There are three levels of review, as determined by the degree of risk to subjects. Applicants may require full review, expedited review, or be screened for exemption. The level of review is determined by the IRB. Please allow up to two weeks for a response to an exempt or expedited review (does not require full board review). Full board protocols must be submitted three weeks prior to the meeting date, otherwise it will be reviewed at the next scheduled meeting time. The reviewer will categorize the editorial comments apart from comments concerning human subject concerns. The review process will cease if there are gross grammatical errors and the protocol will be returned. Research may begin only after IRB approval.
Students must submit applications to their faculty advisor for approval before submitting to the Institutional Review Board. As much of the application as possible should be submitted to the IRB Office electronically through e-mail at irb@uu.edu. The submission should be attached as a Word document to prevent difficulty retrieving the document. You should receive an email confirming receipt of your protocol from the IRB Office within five working days of the submission. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please call Suzanne Barham at (731) 661-5580. Please note that the last page of the application includes signature lines for assurances. This page, along with any attachments to the application that cannot be emailed, should be forwarded to Suzanne Barham, IRB Compliance Officer, Union University, 1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, TN 38305 (or faxed to (731) 661-5187) after it has been signed by the Investigator and the Advisor. If the protocol requires revisions, a new signature page must be resubmitted with the revised protocol. All pages of the protocol must be numbered. In addition to the application, the IRB requires that the researcher complete the Institutional Review Board Tutorial. Once you have completed the tutorial, it will be logged into our database. The tutorial takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. If applicable, the approval document from the School of Education Research Review Committee must also be submitted. IRB approval must be obtained before submission of research request to a school system. Once approval is received from the school system, a copy of the approval document should filed with the IRB Office. For more information call 731-661-5580.
Any application approved for research using human subjects will require that the approved consent form include a stamp from the IRB giving the protocol number and the date approved. This will ensure that the correct, approved version is being used. It will also serve as a reminder of when the protocol must be reviewed again.
This form is to be used for class projects that are conducted for educational purposes only and not as research. By identifying the work as a class project, the following must apply:
Procedure for Submitting the Waiver of IRB Application for Class Projects Using Human Subjects (save files to own computer):
