Research with Human Participants

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Lawrence Technological University responds to federal requirements established by the Department of Health and Human Services. Its main responsibility is to protect the rights and welfare of the human subjects participating in research conducted by Lawrence Tech faculty and staff, as well as monitoring research development, testing and evaluation methods. The IRB is chaired by Dr. Matthew Cole, Assistant Professor and Director of Lawrence Tech's Psychology Program, and is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff. The IRB is committed to maintaining the highest level of ethical standards to ensure protection of all human research participants.

Frequently Asked Questions about IRB approval:

Q: "Is IRB approval required when self-report data are used for Lawrence Tech review and evaluation purposes?"

A: IRB approval is not required when self-report data are used for "in-house" review, such as teaching evaluation, course evaluation, or quality assurance, unless you plan on collecting identifiable personal information other than gender, age, major, college, etc., such as name, address, email, and telephone number. IRB approval is also required if you plan on publishing the data beyond Lawrence Tech, such as in a conference presentation or journal publication. If you do plan on obtaining identifiable personal information from your participants, or if you plan on publishing your data in the future, an Application for Approval to Conduct Research with Human Participants must be submitted to irb@ltu.edu prior to data collection. To protect yourself in the event that you may choose to publish in the future, include a statement of assent in the cover letter to your survey, e.g., "Please note that your data may be used for a published report at a conference or in a journal". If you decide to publish "in-house" data at a later date, you must submit an application for retroactive approval.

Q: "Is IRB approval required if Lawrence Tech faculty, staff, and students are recruited for participation in a research project?"

A: Except for internal departmental, college, university, or other Lawrence Tech administrative purpose, such as teaching evaluation, course evaluation, or quality assurance, all requests to recruit Lawrence Tech faculty, staff, and students for participation in research will be made to irb@ltu.edu and will be accompanied by the Application for Approval to Conduct Research with Human Participants.