Any time you and your classes are doing research with people (human subjects), you must submit the research for review by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). To keep the work in the "minimal risk" category - and to make sure you get a quick turnaround on approval for the research - we recommend that:

• If you're doing a survey, the student researcher and/or the survey instrument itself should explain (1) that it's a survey; (2) what the survey is about; (3) about how long it will take to complete; and (4) how the information will be used.
• Survey topics should be kept relatively innocuous. For example, a survey about how often homeowners water their lawns would be innocuous; a survey about their involvement with illicit drugs would not.
• Keep all information on the survey anonymous; i.e., it should contain no identifying information such as a code number, name, birth date, or address. If there's a need for follow-up with the subjects so that the survey requires a code number, the data must be kept confidential (this is not the same as anonymous) and the surveys must be kept in a secure place at all times. This is very hard to do in a class situation, so we recommend sticking to anonymous, one-phase study designs.
• Research involving public officials, where the researcher asks the official only about his/her job, is exempt from full IRB review and should therefore receive very quick approval from the IRB administrator.
• Interview, observe, and/or experiment only with persons over age 18.
• If you are doing observational research, and the observation is done in a public place (elevator, grocery store, classroom, park, hallway of the TSC, etc.), the research will be classified as exempt from full IRB review and should receive very quick approval.
• Research done on the Internet may or may not be considered public. Many listservs consider themselves private, so it is appropriate to ask permission of the listserv group or Internet community you are observing. For example, networks of breast cancer survivors often resent researchers who want to observe their Internet bulletin boards or chat rooms. Also, since you can never be certain who responds to Internet surveys (they could be under 18, prisoners, or members of another protected category) it is best to keep questions innocuous. For advice on exceptions contact the IRB administrator or chair.
• If the project will not be published, or made public in any way (except as an in-class presentation), the project will not usually be considered research and should receive very quick approval from the IRB administrator.
• We recommend that course research assignments be submitted to the IRB prior to the beginning of classes so that any potential problems can be identified in a timely manner, and approvals can be granted before students begin work on the project.
• For application materials and information on the IRB approval process, go to http://www.irb.usu.edu or call Janet Roberts at (435) 797-1821.