Tips on Submitting and IRB Proposal

All student proposals must be reviewed and approved by a faculty or staff member before submitting the proposal to the W&L IRB. The IRB proposal form includes a section affirming the review of a faculty/staff member. Proposals that do not follow this guidance will not be reviewed.

Please review the "applying the research definition" before considering a proposal. Proposals should meet the definition of research "...to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge." If proposals do not meet that criterion, they will not be reviewed by the IRB. When in doubt, please contact the Chair of the IRB.

  • Please PLAN AHEAD. Proposals are reviewed in the order in which they are received. The average current preliminary review time is listed on the IRB homepage.
  • During the SUMMER months, it will take at least 10 to 20 business days to conduct a preliminary review. Please PLAN accordingly.
  • A proposal requiring a review by the full IRB will NOT be processed from June 1 - August 15.
  • ALL of the forms and templates you need are accessible via hyperlinks. Additionally, forms are updated periodically. Please use current forms. The IRB may reject proposals submitted using outdated forms.
  • During the fall and winter terms, proposals from students in upper-level courses will be prioritized ahead of proposals from students in lower-level courses as well as that of faculty or staff. As a reminder, student course-work in lower-level courses does not typically meet the definition of research and does not typically need to be reviewed.
  • Please note that the Responsible Conduct of Research CITI training course will NOT satisfy your human subjects training requirements. You MUST complete an IRB approved human subjects training course.

If you want information on the federal regulations protecting human subjects, you will find it at Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations part 46.

If you would like to review the text of current W&L IRB Policy, you will find it listed on the website of the W&L Office of General Counsel.