Q: What if I will be conducting my research at a location off-campus (e.g., a hospital, a museum, an airport)?
A: If you are the principal investigator, you will need to file your research protocol with Drew’s IRB. As part of your submission, you should include documentation from your desired research site stating that you have permission/approval to conduct your research there. You may be required to file your research protocol with that location’s IRB as well; you will be responsible for meeting all the requirements for review established by the off-campus location. If you must file your work with the off-campus location’s IRB, you may begin with that process because that is where you will be conducting your work, and then submit that completed paperwork to Drew’s IRB. In other words, you need not fill out two different versions of similar forms. There will be a presumption of approval at Drew if you have received approval from another institution’s IRB.
Q. What if I am conducting research with a collaborator at another institution?
A: If you are a principal investigator, you will need to file your research protocol with Drew’s IRB. If your work has already been filed with the IRB at your collaborator’s institution, you may submit that completed paperwork to Drew’s IRB. In other words, you need not fill out two different versions of similar forms. There will be a presumption of approval at Drew if your co-principal investigator has received approval from another institution’s IRB.
Q: What if I oversee Drew’s participation in a large scale data collection project that is organized by another school/institution (e.g., an NCAA survey of student athletes, the Freshman Survey from the Cooperative Institutional Research Project of UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute)?
A: You will need to file a research protocol with Drew’s IRB. However, in these situations, the lead institution has almost always submitted the project to their local IRB and received approval. They often then prepare a packet of information that can be submitted to the IRBs at each participating school. If this is the case, you may submit this packet of information to Drew’s IRB, and there will be a presumption of approval for this work. If this is not the case, you will need to complete a research protocol using the standard Drew IRB forms.
Q: What if I have an active research protocol that is about to expire?
A: As long as you have made no changes to your materials or procedures, you may re-submit your materials to the IRB Chair and request a continuation. Continuations will typically be treated as expedited, even if they were originally considered full review. If any changes have been made to your materials or procedures, you will need to submit your protocol as a new submission.