The Institutional Review Board’s purpose is to protect human participants in research conducted under the auspices of Southern Nazarene University. Five faculty members from across disciplines and programs and one member of the community are on the IRB. All research in connection with SNU is subject to the review process. A copy of the research proposal and any test, survey, or interview questions must accompany the IRB application.
There are specific procedures for getting approvals and other help from the IRB. If human participants are to be a part of a study, the researcher should select the appropriate level of review for the IRB application. The levels are as follows:
- Exempt does not require a full review, but must be certified as “Exempt” by the board. Examples of research that would be likely so categorized are in typical instructional settings involving usual educational practices, surveys, or interviews. In any case, the participant must not be able to be identified by name or demographic characteristics.
- Expedited studies that present minimal risk to the participants. This level would involve participants that are at least18 years old and are not part of a vulnerable population (children, pregnant women, and fetuses, prisoners, mentally disabled are vulnerable). Examples of methods used at this level are voice recordings, moderate exercise, tests that involve neither manipulation of participants’ behavior nor stress to the participant.
- Full Board Review research involving vulnerable populations, any project not meeting the criteria for exempt or expedited review. Regardless of the category selected originally, the application may be shifted to the full-board-review status.The SNU IRB holds full board review meetings monthly, as needed. Proposals are due no later than 10 days before the next scheduled meeting in order to be reviewed, otherwise, they will need to wait for the following month.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, these dates are:
| Full Board Meeting | Proposal Due |
| Monday, July 29 | Friday, July 19 |
| Monday, August 26 | Friday, August 16 |
| Monday, September 30 | Friday, September 20 |
| Monday, October 28 | Friday, October 18 |
| Monday, November 25 | Friday, November 15 |
| Monday, December 16 | Friday, December 6 |
| Monday, January 27 | Friday, January 17 |
| Monday, February 24 | Friday, February 14 |
| Monday, March 24 | Friday, March 14 |
| Monday, April 28 | Friday, April 18 |
| Monday, May 23 | Friday, May 13 |
| Monday, June 28 | Friday, June 18 |
Note: No data for a study can be collected before receiving IRB approval, so sufficient time for review must be allowed by a researcher before initiating a study. The levels of review involve different lengths of time ranging from a few days to several weeks especially when a full board review is necessary. When more information is requested and/or revisions are necessary, the processing time is lengthened.
The completed application with the appropriate number of copies (see Guidelines) and appropriate attachments should be submitted to IRB@c178.net.
Upon approval, the applicant will receive written notification. At that point, the researcher may begin data collection.