Olivet Nazarene University

ALL FORMS AND REQUIRED PROCEDURES ARE EFFECTIVE ON JANUARY 1, 2009. PRIOR TO THAT, PLEASE CONTACT THE IRB CHAIR AT IRB@OLIVET.EDU FOR SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS PERTAINING TO ANY PROPOSED RESEARCH.

Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board must approve, in advance, all research conducted by any faculty member and or student at Olivet Nazarene University. The board consists of the vice president of Academic Affairs, dean of the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, and appointed faculty from the area in which the research is to be conducted (not to exceed three faculty members). If Olivet students are involved, a representative from the Office of Student Development will be invited to participate as a full voting member. The Board will meet a minimum of once per semester to consider requests or will meet by appointment. Reports of the meeting will be provided to the individual requesting approval and the Office of Academic Affairs.

Mission

The mission of the IRB at Olivet Nazarene University is to:

1. Organize and document the human subjects review process.
2. Monitor the current research regulations.
3. Produce educational programs and materials for faculty and staff.
4. Provide assurance that ONU is in compliance with federal, state and campus policies.

Research Policy

All research involving human subjects that is conducted at or sponsored by Olivet Nazarene University, whether funded or un-funded and whether conducted by ONU faculty, students, or others, must comply with applicable policies for the protection of human subjects. The Human Subjects/Institutional Review Board (IRB) is given broad authority and wide-ranging responsibilities for ensuring the ethical and legal conduct of human subjects research at ONU. The IRB follows widely accepted ethical principles, legally binding federal regulations, campus policies, procedures and practices, and other guidelines in carrying out this important responsibility.

Responsibilities

The Institutional Review Board is responsible for the approval, modification, or disapproval of all research conducted involving human subjects.

Who is required to file an application for research with the Institutional Review Board?

All research that involves human subjects must file with the Institutional Review Board including:

1. All ONU faculty, staff and administrators.
2. All doctoral candidates conducting research in Olivet’s doctoral program.
3. All students (traditional and non-traditional) conducting research in a non-class related project must have a faculty or research sponsor/mentor
4. All non-Olivet individuals applying to use ONU students, faculty, staff, or administrators as a part of their research study.
5. All faculty members requiring students (traditional and non-traditional) to conduct research for an in-class project must submit a general outline of the assigned project. This is done to protect the human subjects utilized in the assigned study.

Applicability of Research Policy

The research policy applies to any research activity involving human subjects that is conducted by any ONU employee, students or agents, or otherwise conducted at or sponsored by the University, irrespective of the risks, scope, funding, or location of the research. The policy is applicable to research involving living human beings whose physical, emotional, social, or behavioral conditions, responses, speech, tissues, or fluids are investigated for research purposes. It is applicable to the use of interviews, tests, observations, surveys and inquiries designed to elicit or obtain nonpublic information about individuals or groups. It also applies to the study of existing records where the identity of the individuals is known or could be readily ascertained, if the information was provided by the individual(s) under the reasonable expectation that it would not be made public (e.g., a medical record).

This policy is applicable to research undertaken on either a large or small scale, whether it is externally funded, internally funded, or not funded, and regardless of where it occurs. Pilot projects, student dissertation and thesis projects, independent study projects, and course projects must follow this policy if they involve human subjects.

Summary Statement of the ONU Research Policy

Olivet Nazarene University recognizes its basic responsibility to ensure the protection of human subjects. To this end, it has adopted the following statement of policy applicable to all research involving human subjects that is conducted at or sponsored by ONU or conducted by an ONU employee, student, or agent:

1. Anyone responsible for such research must
1. Adhere to the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice embodied in the Belmont Report;
2. Adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local requirements for the conduct of human subjects research.
2. The decision of human subjects to participate in research governed by this policy must meet the standards of informed consent. If children are involved as subjects and are capable of assent, their assent to participate must be solicited in additional to the consent of their parents. The decision to participate must be
1. Voluntary—it must occur as a result of free choice, without compulsion or obligation;
2. Based on full disclosure of the information needed to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate; and
3. Based on the subject’s comprehension of the information provided, and
4. Based on the subject’s ability to withdraw without penalty at any time during the research.
3. The selection of research subjects must be fair. Subjects should not be selected for potentially beneficial research on the basis of favoritism, nor should risky research be targeted to subjects who are less powerful.
4. The procedures for recruiting subjects must protect their privacy and be reasonable in terms of their conditions or circumstances. No coercion, explicit or implicit, should be used to obtain or maintain cooperation.
1. Any payment made to subjects should not be so large as to constitute excessive inducement for participation.
2. When access to subjects is gained through cooperating institutions or individuals, prior commitments made to the subjects about the confidentiality or other terms of the primary relationship should not be abridged.
5. Risks to subjects must be minimized and should be satisfied by the anticipated benefits to the subject or society.
6. Adequate provisions must be made to protect the privacy of subjects and to maintain the confidentiality of identifiable information.
7. All participants must be provided with complete contact information for any investigator involved in conducting the research.
8. Approval for conducting research with human subjects must be obtained prior to any involvement with subjects. Members of the Human Subjects/Institutional Review Board or an approved entity appropriately delegated by the IRB must review all such research. All approved projects must be periodically reevaluated.

This policy does not generally apply to routine course, workshop, or curriculum development using accepted educational practices sponsored by ONU or to aid or services provided by professionals to their clients.

Contact Information

For any questions regarding the Institutional Review Board, the requirements of research with human subjects, or any other research related questions, the Chair of the Institutional Review Board can be reached via email at IRB@olivet.edu or by regular mail at the following address:

Institutional Review Board
Office of Academic Affairs
Olivet Nazarene University
One University Avenue
Bourbonnais, IL 60914