What Adjunct Faculty Need to Know: The Role of the Institutional Research Board

Approval of Research Projects

Similar to full-time faculty, adjunct faculty in all schools and units conducting research of any kind are required to submit research proposals to the Institutional Research Board (IRB).

The purpose of the IRB at Holy Family University is to ensure the protection and welfare of all human participants involved in research. Regardless of whether the faculty member is using Holy Family students, faculty, and/or staff or persons outside the University community, every faculty member pursuing research for professional reasons must obtain approval of the research project prior to collecting data of any kind. The only exception is of the faculty member obtains IRB approval from another agency or institution and data is not being collected in any form from within the University community.

Part of the application for IRB approval involves an ethics certification, which is an outline tutorial on the protection of human participants through the National Institute of Health. The certificate of completion should be included with the rest of the IRB proposal forms. Faculty members should assume that a full IRB review is required, and the IRB chair will review the application to determine which level of review will be necessary. Explanation of levels of review is included on the IRB page on the Intranet.

To submit proposals to the IRB, adjunct faculty members can download the forms from the Intranet, complete the application and other required forms including obtaining original signatures, and submit the forms to the IRB chair, Dr. Susan Belangee, Counseling Psychology Program, Newtown site, Room 208. Dr. Belangee can be contacted via e-mail at sbelangee@holyFamily.edu or by phone at (267) 341-4034.

Special Advice to Adjuncts Teaching Research Courses or Addressing Research Activities in Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

If adjunct faculty members are teaching research methodologies or statistics courses and/or requiring students to collect data as part of a classroom assignment or project, the topics and assessment tools the students are using must be approved by the IRS chair even though no formal IRB application process is required.

Faculty members should submit a list of topics and the instrument(s) or questionnaire(s) for each student or group as soon as possible in order for the IRB chair to review and determine if the projects are appropriate for completion. This information can be sent electronically to Dr. Balangee or sent to her via campus mail. Please note that it is required that all adjuncts complete the online ethics certification as described herein. A copy of the certificate can be sent via campus mail to the IRB chair. The IRB strongly recommends that students complete the certification as well because it reviews and teaches the basics regarding ethical research practices, emphasizing the protection of human participants.

Adjunct faculty should caution students in avoiding asking sensitive or potentially intrusive questions (i.e. current GPA, personal behaviors or practices regarding alcohol, drugs or sexual situations, or questions that may cause undue emotional stress or potential harm) on surveys or questionnaires. Students are required to use the consent template on the IRB page of the Intranet. Faculty should explain the purpose and procedures of informed consent as part of the class activities and make sure that students are developing appropriate informed consent forms and procedures for their projects.

Adjunct faculty and their students should do all they can to protect the identity and privacy of their participants or subjects. This means that the data collection and overall research procedures need to be conducted using methods that ensure no person but the student researcher or faculty member supervising the project has access to the answers submitted by respondents. Additionally, measures must be employed to separate and keep any signed forms from the completed instrument.

Questions regarding the IRB and the research project approval process should be directed to Dr. Susan Belangee, IRB chair via e-mail or by telephone.





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