IRB Defined

IRB stands for Institutional Review Board. An IRB is an autonomous committee that determines the level of oversight required for your project or study. For research proposals that include human participants, the focus is on maximizing the protection of the rights and welfare of the proposed participants.

While USU uses the name "IRB," the same functions may operate under a different name at different organizations (e.g., Ethics Review Board, Committee for Protection of Human Subjects, Research Ethics Board). Research funded or supported by the U.S. federal government must adhere to the federal regulatory requirements for the protection of human participants. However, USU requires the same standards for all research, irrespective of funding source. The IRB also ensures university compliance with HIPAA, FERPA, and similar information privacy protection requirements.

While the composition of the IRB may change over time, consistent with federal regulation, USU's IRB has at least five members with varying backgrounds, providing a comprehensive review of research activities commonly conducted by the USU community. You will learn about the IRB during your CITI training (described in the CITI Training section of this Handbook).