Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are institutionally based offices that serve to review the research proposed on their campus to ensure the protection of human subjects. If a project does not involve human subjects, it usually does not require IRB review. There are, however, review boards for animal research (see the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at CU Boulder, for example.) See CU Boulder's IRB website.
IRBs came into existence to prevent the repetition of research atrocities that occurred in the past, such as Nazi medical experiments and medical racism and violence carried out by doctors in the United States.
IRBS generally base their requirements for research on the Belmont Report, which is a statement of human research ethics and principles published by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The three main principles are:
To submit a proposal to IRB, you must first complete CITI training, which is usually offered through your institution.
Part of the Research and Innovation Office, CU Boulder's IRB website has many excellent resources to help you understand what you need to get IRB approval and guide you through the process. They provide an investigator manual that details how you should proceed as well as guidance on what kinds of research do and do not need IRB approval.
Institutional review board : management and function by
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) invests over $37 billion per year in support of research to improve human health. All research funded by NIH that involves human subjects is subject to regulatory oversight, requiring institutions to staff and manage Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). IRB members, chairs, and the many associated human subjects protections oversight professionals who support the work of the IRB must navigate complex federal regulations issued by multiple agencies. This book is the industry standard reference work for the research oversight community, providing comprehensive, understandable interpretations of the regulations, clear descriptions of the ethical principles on which the regulations are based, and practical best-practices guidelines for effectively implementing regulatory oversight.