Researchers should always commit to the highest standards of ethical conduct. The protection of human subjects participating in research is a shared responsibility of all researchers and the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Environmental or situational factors may impact an already approved IRB protocol. Modifications to a protocol are designed to ensure researchers are responding to their environment and the needs of their participants. While every IRB protocol is different, there are some common reasons why an... Read More
Monthly Archives
August 2017
Three quick ways to (1) Prepare, (2) Present, and (3) Polish your informed consent form.
PREPARE:
- Follow the American Psychological Association (APA) guide for formatting.
- Leave white space between paragraphs.
- Keep the sentences as short and simple as possible.
- Use bullet points, or numbered lists to break up long lists of text.
- Bold paragraph headers to make the consent form easier to read and understand.
- Include the institution’s name, address, and phone number as the document... Read More
Recently, a student visited my office to chat about her research. She began the conversation expressing her concern with the consent form because we ask researchers to submit translated materials if their participants speak languages other than English. For example, if a researcher is studying how students in the Dominican Republic respond to challenging mathematical tasks, the IRB consent forms will likely be in both English and Spanish.
She understood the justification and was in agreement... Read More