Related Policies and Guidelines

TBR Policy 2.08.00.00 General Policies Regarding Research

TBR Guideline A-110 Institutional Review for Research

In addition to the policy below, research on human subject(s) may be subject to additional reviews, policies, procedures, and regulations, as well as approval and monitoring by an Institutional Review Board designated for that purpose.

Northeast State Community College (NeSCC) is not a research institution; however, the College regularly receives requests for permission to conduct research. A person interested in conducting research at Northeast State Community College should contact the Office of Research, Analytics, and Planning for complete application procedures. The College's application and review procedures regarding research requests are designed to facilitate meaningful research, ensure consistency in the processing of research request, and protect the best interests of the College, including its students and employees, with a focus on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20) U.S.C &1232g:34CFR Part 99).

The structure and operation of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be consistent with Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations for the protection of human subjects in research (45 CFR 46). This will include an IRB consisting of the following members designated by the Assistant Vice President for Research, Analytics, and Planning, with approval of the supervising vice president or equivalent:

• At least five members of varying backgrounds, race, and gender
  • One member who is from a scientific area of study
  • One member who is from a non-scientific area of study
  • One member who is not affiliated with the institution
• Institutional members may be faculty, staff, or students. (No more than one member may be a student.)
• All members must have professional research experience

Membership on the IRB will be reviewed annually.

No IRB member may participate on the review of a project where they have a conflict of interest except to provide information requested by the IRB. The IRB may invite individuals with competence in special areas to assist in the review of projects. Those individuals may not vote with the IRB.

The IRB will decide whether to approve, deny, or request modifications. This determination will be relayed to the President’s Cabinet at the next regularly scheduled President’s Cabinet meeting. To ensure the best interest of the College are protected, the Cabinet will have final approval but may not authorize a project which the IRB has denied, per federal regulation (45 CFR 46 §46.113). The Cabinet’s determination will be relayed to the researcher by the Office of Research, Analytics, and Planning (Institutional Effectiveness).

The Office of Research, Analytics, and Planning serves as the coordinating body and as a liaison between NeSCC's IRB, President's Cabinet, and researcher. The Office of Research, Analytics, and Planning will review applications for accuracy/completeness and forward them to the IRB.