Human Subjects Office IRB process information

From Kimberly Fernandez in the UGA Office of Research’s Human Subjects Office:

Dear faculty,

Fall semester is here! We understand that some faculty may be unfamiliar with how to navigate the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process, but we’re here to help! Attached you will find a flyer which describes some of the services provided and how to access them, as well as some frequently asked questions which will get you started.

Friendly reminder of recent change in UGA’s IRB process: A new express exempt review process has been implemented, applicable to research that involves only normal educational practices in standard educational settings or that solely involves surveys or interviews (including focus groups) of adults on topics that are not considered sensitive (exempt categories 1, 2i, or 2ii). We will document the determination in the portal, and the correspondence will identify known policies from our pre-review that the study PI’s have the responsibility to ensure their activities and materials meet before beginning the project. The correspondence will include instructions for updating the portal record. Questions about this process should be directed to kfowler@uga.edu.

We hope you have a great fall semester! Please let us know if you have any questions—you can reach us by email.