General Information

On behalf of Elon University, the Institutional Review Board’s (IRB) major role is to safeguard the rights and welfare of all human subjects who participate in research projects conducted by Elon. In compliance with Federal law and institutional policy, all research projects involving human subjects or human material must be reviewed and approved by the IRB. All biomedical, social and behavioral research projects conducted by the faculty, the staff and students of the University are subject to the Policies and Procedures of the Institutional Review Board.

Please note: Students may not serve as a Principal Investigator (PI) on an IRB study. A faculty advisor must serve as the PI and submit a protocol on the student’s behalf. Students do not have access to IRB Mentor.

Does My Research Require Review?

The scope of the Institutional Review Board’s (IRB) charge is broad. Generally, any research that uses humans, human tissue, surveys or interviews of human subjects, or human subjects’ records requires IRB review, regardless of its funding source. The IRB’s charge extends to research in the social and behavioral sciences as well as research in the health and biological sciences.

IRB review and approval is required for any research involving human subjects that: is conducted by University faculty, staff, students; is performed on the premises of the University (even if conducted by persons not affiliated with Elon); is performed with or involves the use of facilities or equipment belonging to the University (even if conducted by persons not affiliated with Elon); or involves University, students, staff, or faculty (even if conducted off-campus).