Did you know that in order to conduct a public survey at Northern Vermont University – Lyndon, you need to receive approval from the IRB committee? But what is the IRB? Who runs it? And what does it take to go through the process?
The IRB stands for the Institutional Review Board. Essentially, this is a committee of people who will guide you through the procedure of any public surveying a student hopes to conduct. Any surveying regarding human subjects must go through the IRB committee for ethical review. The committee will ensure that all federal regulations, as well as human subjects, are protected from any harm, whether it be physical, emotional, or psychological.
We reached out to the chair of the IRB board, Dr. Katie Bouley, to dig a little deeper into the details. Joined by fellow associate professors Dr. Ben Luce and Dr. Brandon Stroup, this IRB committee is the team you contact to host any review for your survey.
Bouley stated that depending on the nature of the research, a student’s survey could be reviewed by just the chair, or can sometimes go through the whole committee. But what does the committee exactly review? A number of things, Bouley says, from ensuring appropriate wording is used to making sure proper consent has been secured. Confidentiality, anonymity of responses, and rights of the participants are also factored into the review process.
If the IRB committee approves a student’s survey, an official letter is sent to the student letting them know when they may begin collecting their research. In some cases, recommendations of changes to the application, survey, or other pieces of details need to be addressed before IRB approval can be given.
Bouley recommends that any student who belongs to NVU obtain a faculty or supervisor sponsor to assist with the research and development of their survey submission. We asked what kind of students approach the IRB committee, in which Bouley offered, “most of the applications we receive are student surveys created as part of their senior project or thesis.”
Does the process stop there? Almost. All institutional reviews must be registered with the Office for Human Research Protections. This way, the committee is held responsible for compliance, as all committee members complete the online IRB training through the OHRP. And our IRB board doesn’t work alone. In the past, they’ve paired up with the Johnson campus IRB committee as well as other VSCS institutions to help the survey review process.
So what happens once a student’s survey application is approved? The student can then move forward with conducting their research, analysis, and reporting. Although not required to, once a student has completed their survey, they can publish their results. In most cases, they go to journal publications, conference seminars, or other public presentations depending on the field, and in a few examples, social media is used.
Interested in conducting your own research and survey? The IRB committee has a free document that can better help you construct your application, and you may also reach out to any of the IRB board members to begin your student research. Exploring the IRB survey opportunities is certainly worthwhile. Students who conduct their own surveys can gain better problem-solving skills, a better understanding of research methods, and strengthen their educational career.
For more information and tips on how to submit an IRB application click here.