Overview

Every department at UIC is required to develop a procedure for processing applications/information regarding research involving human subjects.  There are four categories of research that involve data about people.  They are: "Exempt," "Expedited," "Full," and "Non Human Subjects research on Persons."  The first three are all types of research that must complete the proper forms and be reviewed by one of UIC's Institutional Review Boards (IRB).  Most of what would be done as research in our department would go to IRB #2, which handles behavioral research.  The last type is research that fails to meet the definition of human subjects research (see the UIC Office for Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) web page.  This type of research requires a relatively short Research Registration form to be filled out, signed by the Department Head, and filed (but not reviewed) with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR).  There is also a document describing the UIC Policy regarding the definition of "Human Subjects Research" that is supposed to tell you when this simple research registration form is all that you need.  Again, go to  UIC Office for Protection of Research Subjects  for IRB Forms, Policies, and Instructions.  The Political Science Department has decided to keep copies of all four types of research proposals as part of better record keeping and for future reference.  These are currently stored in the Graduate Office (see James Nell).

A three person departmental committee has been appointed to manage IRB issues.  Its current members are Lyn Ragsdale, Gerry Strom, and Rasma Karklins.  It is the position of this committee that the primary responsibility for compliance with UIC regulations regarding human subjects research falls on individual researchers.  Thus, individual researchers have an obligation to read the appropriate federal regulations and guidelines and of course are the ones that are ultimately responsible for the conduct of their research.

The first step in all of this is to become informed about the regulations.  There are several places you might go, including:

45 CFR 46 - Protection of Human Subjects (These are the actual Federal Regulations. All researchers really should read this document!)
NIH Human Subjects Protection web site (Tons of links to all sorts of information, examples, and guides)
The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research

All protocols to be reviewed by the IRB must go though the following steps

IMPORTANT NOTE:  All Researchers at UIC must complete the required Human Subjects Research Training program before the college or an IRB will process your forms!!

STEP 1

Become informed about the process.  Read the instructions.  Read the regulations and UIC policies.  Look at previous submissions that have been successful.

STEP 2

Decide which forms you think are appropriate for you and fill them out as carefully and as completely as you can.

STEP 3

Faculty:  Your proposals must first be reviewed by a three person committee in the department.  Our current policy for faculty research is to have a standing committee perform this function (currently Ragsdale, Strom, and Karklins).  These committee members must review the protocol and sign in the appropriate places on Form D.  The Department Head must also sign a separate page of the IRB form. (NOTE: Any Visiting or Adjunct Faculty wishing to pursue human subjects research while at UIC is also bound by this policy.  In addition to the signatures described above, such persons will also need the signature of a faculty sponsor from the department).   It is the responsibility of the researcher to gather the necessary signatures.

Graduate students:    Your proposals must first be reviewed by a three person committee in the department.  Our current policy for graduate student research  is NOT to use a standing committee to  perform this function.  For graduate students, the three person committee should consist of the student's advisor (chair of a thesis or dissertation committee if the research is for these purposes; otherwise and advisor with knowledge of the proposed project), the Director of Graduate Studies, and one other faculty member.  These committee members must review the protocol and sign in the appropriate places on Form D.  The Department Head must also sign a separate page of the IRB form, and a Faculty Sponsor must also sign this separate page.   It is the responsibility of the researcher to gather the necessary signatures.

STEP 4

You submit the required number of copies of your proposal to the UIC Office for Protection of Research Subjects.  You no longer submit proposals through LAS. The specific contact information is:

IRB #2
Office for Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS)
University of Illinois at Chicago
Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (M/C 672)
203 Administrative Office Building
1737 West Polk Street
Chicago, IL 60612-7227
Phone: 312-996-1711
Fax: 312-413-2929

You cannot proceed with your research until you have confirmed approval from the IRB.

Research Done as part of a Class Assignment

Research done by a student as part of a class assignment does not fall under these policies.  This includes the gathering of original data on human subjects.  In such cases, however, the instructor of the course will be responsible for informing students of proper procedures regarding the conduct of such research and for monitoring the work done by students.  Thus, it remains very important that both faculty and students understand the regulations and procedures regarding the conduct of human subjects research.  Instructors are encouraged to include relevant information on their course syllabi along with instruction when relevant.

However, as soon as a student wishes to publicly report on the research he/she is conducting, that research now falls under the policies outlined here.  If it is research on persons that does not meet the definition of human subjects (See  UIC Policy - Definition of "Human Research Subjects" ), the student must still fill out the Registration Form for Research Involving "Persons" but not "Human Subjects (See  IRB Forms, Policies, and Instructions ).  If the research would fall under one of the three IRB categories (Exempt, Expedited, or Full review), the student would have to fill out the appropriate forms and submit them for Departmental review and IRB approval BEFORE the research could be presented publicly.  This includes presentation at a professional conference (like the Midwest, APSA, or Illinois Political Science Association meetings).  This also includes submitting papers for publication in scholarly journals or other outlets based on the research.

Additional Points

Projects that require signed informed consent forms may want to look at the examples given on the UIC Office for Protection of Research Subjects web page under the following heading: 10/29/99 - Consent Form Templates and Guidelines

They are regularly making updates to these forms and guidelines, so it is worth checking the  UIC Office for Protection of Research Subjects web page before you begin to fill out the version of the forms you might have.

For more information, contact the department's IRB liaison, currently Prof. Gerry Strom