IRB frequently asked questions
The guidance on this page applies to human research on KU's Lawrence campus. For human subjects research at the KU Medical Center, please visit the KUMC Human Research Protection Program website.
Preparing documents
The KU-Lawrence IRB does allow KU students to submit their projects for review. However, all KU students must have a faculty supervisor listed on their study team. The faculty supervisor must complete an ancillary review before a study can be approved.
Complete a faculty ancillary review
The IRB submission process includes a checklist with linked documents required when submitting a study.
The Human Research Protocol (.pdf) is required for all applications. Other documents depend on your research project. Examples of documents to submit include consent documents, recruitment materials, surveys, questionnaires and interview questions.
Whether you are acquiring oral consent, written consent, or using an internet information statement, please refer to IRB submission guidance to make sure that you include the necessary forms and documents.
The federal Office for Human Research Protection provides FAQs on informed consent.
Debriefing is required for studies that include deception.
It's common to pay participants in both sponsored and non-sponsored research projects under protocols approved by KU's Human Research Protection Program. HRPP encourages investigators to use ClinCards as an alternative to cash for payments.
Projects are processed in the order in which they are received. Research activities, including conducting pilot tests, receiving identifiable data, recruitment, consent, and paying for printing, participant incentives, or other costs associated with the participants, must not take place until you have received HRPP approval.
For minimal risk studies, a researcher will typically receive an initial response from a reviewer in 5-10 business days. Timeline to approval varies based on the number of clarifications that must be resolved before approval. Approval for most minimal risk projects takes between 5 and 15 business days. During periods of high volume (generally October-November and mid-February-mid-April) time to approval may be at the higher end of the range, 10-15 business days.
Higher risk studies are reviewed the first Thursday of every month by the IRB committee. Plan on 3-6 weeks to receive approval.
The IRB must make a determination about your project. It is not up to the researcher to decide if the project can fit into an "exempt" or "expedited" category of review.
To expedite the IRB process, please ensure that you have done the following:
- Filled out the human research protocol (.pdf) completely
- Uploaded all of your documents (See Step 2: Protocol submission on the IRB submission page)
- Completed the Human Subjects tutorial in the last 3 years
- Respond quickly to any requests for clarification that the reviewers send
Tutorial + adding personnel
Instructions on how to complete the Human Research Protection tutorial can be found on the Human subjects training page.
The tutorial must be completed every 3 years.
If the individual is not affiliated with KU, contact irb@ku.edu. We will provide you with the correct forms to fill out and help you make a determination about the type of account the individual will need and any additional paperwork. If the person is affiliated with another institution/university that has its own IRB, please have them talk to their institution's IRB to determine what is needed.
Conducting research
No, your study must be approved by the KU-Lawrence IRB before you can begin recruiting participants.
No, your study must be approved by the KU-Lawrence IRB before your project can begin.
The federal government has very strict guidelines for human subjects research. Sometimes this definition does not line up with the academic definition of research. If it is determined your project is not considered human subjects research, then you can proceed with your research without IRB oversight.
Check out OHRP's FAQs on investigator responsibilities.
Logging in to eCompliance
Visit ecompliance.ku.edu and log in using your KU ID and password. This information is the same as your login for KU email and Enroll & Pay.
All faculty, staff and graduate students should be able to log in to the system using their KU ID and password. If the log in is not working and you are affiliated with KU, email HRPP and we will check to make sure you are added to the system.
Undergraduate students are not automatically added to the system. An undergraduate student can request to be added by providing their 7-digit KU student ID number to HRPP via encrypted email or via phone at 785-864-7385.
2022 IRB meetings
