Timelines for IRB Review

Please ensure you have a complete package prior to submitting to the IRB. Your submission is put in queue when it is complete. Submissions are processed as follows:

Within 5 business days: Activities deemed not human subjects research or exempt (with or without limited review).
Within 7 business days: Research reviewed as expedited.
Within 21 business days: Research requiring a full board review. This process takes substantially longer because a full committee must be convened and have time to review the materials before the meeting. If you plan on proposing a study that may require full board review, reach out to the IRB early to determine what safeguards will likely need to be in place to receive approval. Sometimes, the safeguards required are significant (and may go beyond the resources available). Knowing this as early as possible will allow you to design your study accordingly. It is also important to understand that USU as an institution can disapprove a study that the IRB has approved (although the opposite is not true).