Rules for Research on Humans

What is the IRB (Institutional Review Board) and does it apply to me?

Under federal law, institutions like Plymouth State University must create a group called the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to review research that involves humans to ensure that no one is harmed by the research activities. If your Habits of Mind Project will collect information from people about their experiences or perspectives, then it may need to be reviewed by the IRB. Below are a few questions that can help you figure out whether IRB rules apply to you and your HOM project – if you answer yes to any of them, you might need IRB approval before you can distribute your survey or schedule an interview. The process for applying for IRB approval is explained at the end of this chapter. Even if you find that your project does not require IRB approval, please read the chapter “Creating Effective Surveys and Interviews” for some tips on maximizing the impact of these tools.

1. Will you collect identifying information about the people participating in your research?

You may need IRB approval if you plan on collecting people’s names, email addresses, physical or mailing addresses, ID numbers (such as social security, driving license, PSU ID), or anything else that allows the person participating in your research to be easily identified.

2. Will you be collecting information from vulnerable people?

You may need IRB approval if you plan on surveying or interviewing children (anyone under 18 years old), people who are pregnant, or prisoners, because these groups of people are considered especially vulnerable to any research risks.

3. Will you be sharing the information gained from your research with the public?

You may need IRB approval if you plan on sharing the information you learned from your survey or interview questions with people beyond your TWP classmates and instructor. For TWP students, this could include creating a website, uploading a video or infographic to a shared platform like YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, presenting at PSU’s Student Showcase, or a class presentation to which off-campus experts or guests are invited.

There are some caveats to this final question. If the results of your survey or interview are the main focus of what you plan to present to the public, then it is more likely that you will need IRB approval. However, if the results of your survey or interview are simply a first step in the Design Thinking process of understanding your wicked problem, and the main focus of what you plan to present to the public is instead your design process and/or the intervention your group creates to “tackle” your wicked problem, then it is less likely that you will need IRB approval.

Let’s take a look at an example to understand this in more detail. Let’s say students are enrolled in Tackling a Wicked Problem: Mental Health. There is one group in the class that is interested in exploring mental health issues faced by PSU students who commute to campus for the Habits of Mind Project. The group designs an online survey for PSU students to share some of their personal experiences with being a commuter. If the group creates a poster for the Student Showcase with quotes and data from their survey, then this is likely to need IRB approval. If on the other hand the group takes what they learn from the survey to design a mobile phone app for commuter students to connect with each other and reduce feelings of isolation, and they create a poster for the Student Showcase that focuses on their design process and does not go into detail about the survey data, then they are less likely to need IRB approval.

How do I apply for IRB approval?

If you believe your project needs IRB approval, you should verify this before proceeding with the steps outlined below by emailing psu-irb@plymouth.edu. Your subject line should be: Tackling a Wicked Problem. Provide a brief summary of your project including the participants you will be working with and your research methods. You should also ask whether your project will be either 1) exempt from full review or 2) qualify for expedited review. (A third option full review, which applies to studies with much more potential risk to participants, rarely applies to the types of surveys or interviews typical of TWP Habits of Mind projects.)

If you are told that your project will need IRB approval, follow the detailed instructions on the PSU IRB website: https://www.plymouth.edu/about/academic-affairs/institutional-review-board/how-applyforms. The application process is entirely online, and you should receive feedback on your application within 1 week. Currently the application includes these steps:

1. Online ethics training: All group members for your Habits of Mind project are required to complete a mandatory training module through an outside organization called CITI. The training module is called “Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research.” At the end of the module you will be issued a digital certificate that you should save a copy of for your IRB application.
2. Digital IRB application: One person in your Habits of Mind project should submit a digital IRB application on behalf of the entire group. PSU uses a digital platform called Cayuse IRB/Human Ethics. You will need to request a Cayuse account by emailing research.integrity@unh.edu. This digital application will ask you for contact information for all students in your group, and some basic questions about your research design.
3. Informed Consent process: Your group will need to describe your project in enough detail to people who are being asked to take your survey or talk with you in an interview so that they fully understand it before agreeing to participate. This is called informed consent. For online surveys this could be a welcome page that describes the study and gives people an option to proceed or opt out. For in person interviews, this could be a one-page document that describes your project and asks for signatures from participants indicating their consent.