Review Procedures and Board Meeting Dates

Submitted projects are "pre-reviewed" by an HRPP administrator to make sure they are complete and detailed enough for assessment. This often involves discussions with research team members to resolve ambiguities and correct omissions.

At the end of the pre-review process, the administrator will determine the level of risk that the project poses to human participants. There are three types of review procedure based on the perceived level of risk: Exempt, Expedited, and Full Board.

Exempt Reviews

Exempt projects are those which are judged to involve zero to minimal risks, and little or no intervention in people's daily lives. They are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Studies approved at this level are exempt from further IRB oversight, so long as they do not change. They do not require team members to submit a yearly renewal.

Once Exempt Review studies are completed, researchers must submit a study closure report or send an email notification to HRPP at irb@mtu.edu.

Expedited Reviews

Expedited Review projects are those which are determined to pose no more than minimal risks to subjects, but which involve interventions or information-gathering procedures that must be handled carefully to ensure safety and/or confidentiality. They are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Most studies approved at the Expedited Review level do not require the submission of a yearly renewal report to the IRB. PIs of Expedited Review studies must however promptly submit an incident report to HRPP if there are any unanticipated problems that increase the risks faced by subjects.

Once they are completed, Expedited Review studies must be officially closed by submitting a final report through the eIRB system or by sending an email notification to irb@mtu.edu.

Full Board Reviews

Full Board Review projects are those which pose more than minimal risk to subjects. They can only be approved at a convened meeting of the IRB. These meetings take place roughly once per month during the school year.

Full Board Review projects take longer to process than Exempt or Expedited studies. They should therefore be submitted well in advance, ideally with an aim to completing the pre-review process before the relevant meeting's submission deadline (see the list below).

Studies approved at the Full Board Review level require continuing oversight by HRPP staff, at least until they reach the stage of pure data analysis or clinical follow-up. Research team members must submit renewal reports through the eIRB system at least once a year.

PIs must also promptly submit an incident report to HRPP if there are any unanticipated problems that increase the risks faced by subjects.

When they are completed, Full Board Review studies must be officially closed with a final report through the eIRB system.

Modification of Approved Studies

The above procedures are for initial submissions of new projects. If approval is given, it is always contingent on the study proceeding as described in the submission.

If any changes are made, for example to research personnel, recruitment, or actual study procedures, the research team must apply to the IRB for further approval. This must be done in advance unless the safety of subjects is immediately at risk.

Making modifications through the eIRB system is a relatively simple procedure of changing the original submission and providing a brief explanation (visit Creating a Modification for instructions). Modifications are pre-reviewed by HRPP staff, and will generally be processed using Expedited procedures, unless they involve major changes to Full Board Review studies.

Full IRB Meeting Dates

2023-24 Academic Year Meeting Date and Deadlines

Complete Full Board Review submissions received by the relevant deadline will be added to the next IRB meeting agenda.