IRB Review Categories

• Exempt human subject research projects may be reviewed by the IRB Chair or designee, and do not require full Board review.
• There are no deadlines for IRB applications qualifying for Exempt Review.
• IRB approval does not expire; therefore, continuing review is not required.
• Obtaining written, signed consent from research participants is not required by federal regulations; however, certain departments (e.g., psychology) may require written consent even for exempt research, or the IRB may require written consent for certain studies.

What Qualifies for Exempt Review?

To qualify for Exempt Review, the research must meet all of the following criteria:

• Must not involve pregnant women, prisoners or mentally impaired persons;
• Must not include survey research with minors unless involving standard educational activities (e.g., educational tests) within the particular education system;
• Must not include observation of a minor’s public behavior unless there is no researcher interaction;
• Research must not involve video or audio recording of subjects; and
• Must  be in one or more of the following categories:

Categories for Exempt Review

1. Research will be conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving normal educational practices, such as (a) research on regular and special education instructional strategies, or (b) research on the effectiveness or the comparison among instructional techniques, curricula, or classroom management methods.
2. Research will involve the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior, unless the subjects can be identified directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects and disclosure of responses could reasonably place the subjects at risk or criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects’ financial standing, employability or reputation.
3. Research will involve the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude, achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior that is not exempt under item (2) above, if  (a) the subjects are elected or appointed public officials or candidates for public office; or (b) Federal statute(s) require(s) that the confidentiality or other personally identifiable information will be maintained throughout the research and thereafter.
4. Research will involve the collection or study of existing data, documents, records, pathological specimens, or diagnostic specimens, if these sources are publicly available or if the information is recorded by the investigator in such a manner that subjects cannot be identified directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects.
5. Research and demonstration projects which are conducted by or subject to the approval of federal agency sponsoring the research, and which are designed to study, evaluate or otherwise examine (a) public benefit or service programs, (b) procedures for obtaining benefits or services under those programs, (c) possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or procedures, or (d) possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those programs.
6. Taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies, if (a) wholesome foods without additives are consumed, or if (b) a food is consumed that contains a food ingredient at or below the level and for a use found to be safe, by the Food and Drug Administration or approved by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Expedited human subject research projects may be reviewed by the IRB Chair, and do not require full Board review.
• There are no deadlines for IRB applications qualifying for Expedited Review.
• IRB approval will be granted for a determined length of time not to exceed one year. The IRB approval expiration date will be specified in the approval letter. Continuing review is required for re-approval if the research is to continue beyond the expiration date.
• Signed consent is required unless the IRB grants a waiver.

What Qualifies for Expedited Review?

To qualify for Expedited Review, the research must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be of minimal risk (see definitions, below) to the subjects;
• Must not involve pregnant women, prisoners or mentally impaired persons;
• Involve only procedures listed in one or more of the following categories: 

Categories for Expedited Review

1. Clinical studies of (a) drugs for which an investigational new drug application is not required (Note: research on marketed drugs that significantly increases the risks or decreases the acceptability of the risks associated with the use of the product is not eligible for expedited review), or (b) medical devices for which an investigational device exemption application is not required; or the medical device is cleared/approved for marketing and the medical device is being used in accordance with its cleared/approved labeling.
2. Collection of blood samples by finger stick, heel stick, ear stick, or venipuncture as follows: (a) from healthy, nonpregnant adults who weigh at least 110 pounds (Note: amounts drawn may not exceed 550 ml in an 8 week period and collection may not occur more frequently than two time per week) or (b) from other adults and children, considering the age, weight, and health of the subjects, the collection procedure, the amount of blood to be collected, and the frequency with which it will be collected ( Note: amount drawn may not exceed the lesser of 50 ml or 3 ml per kg in an eight week period and collection may not occur more frequently than two times per week).
3. Prospective collection of biological specimens for research purposes by noninvasive means. Examples: (a) Hair and nail clippings in a nondisfiguring manner; (b) Deciduous teeth at time of exfoliation or if routine patient care indicates a need for extraction; (c) Permanent teeth if routine patient care indicates a need for extraction; (d) Excreta and external secretions (including sweat); and (e) Uncannulated saliva collected either in an unstimulated fashion or stimulated by chewing gumbase or wax or by applying a dilute citric solution to the tongue; (f) Placenta removal at delivery; (g) Amniotic fluid obtained at the time of rupture of the membrane prior to or during labor; (h) Supra- and subgingival dental plaque and calculus, provided the collection procedure is not more invasive than routine prophylactic scaling of the teeth and the process is accomplished in accordance with accepted prophylactic techniques; (i) Mucosal and skin cells collected by buccal scraping or swab, skin swab, or mouth washings; (j) Sputum collected after saline mist nebulization.
4. Collection of data through noninvasive procedures (not involving general anesthesia or sedation) routinely employed in clinical practice, excluding procedures involving x-rays or microwaves. Where medical devices are employed, they must be cleared/approved for marketing. (Studies intended to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the medical device are not generally eligible for expedited review, including studies of cleared medical devices for new indications.) Examples: (a) physical sensors that are applied either to the surface of the body or at a distance and do not involve input of significant amounts of energy into the subject or an invasion of the subject’s privacy; (b) weighing or testing sensory acuity; (c) magnetic resonance imaging; (d) electrocardiography, electroencephalography, thermography, detection of naturally occurring radioactivity, electroretinoraphy, ultrasound, diagnostic infrared imaging, doppler blood flow, and echocardiography; (e) moderate exercise, muscular strength testing, body composition assessment, and flexibility testing where appropriate given the age, weight and health of the individual.
5. Research involving materials (data, documents, records or specimens) that have been collected or will be collected solely for non-research purposes (such as medical treatment or diagnosis).
6. Collection of data from voice, video, digital, or image recordings made for research purposes.
7. Research on individual or group characteristics or behavior (including, but not limited to, research on perception, cognition, motivation, identity, language communication, cultural beliefs or practices, social behavior), or research employing survey, interview, oral history, focus group, program evaluation, human factors evaluation, or quality assurance methodologies.

• A project that involves greater than minimal risk (see definition, below) requires approval by an IRB panel, the Board, composed of members qualified to review research in that field. The Board meets once per month.
• There are deadlines for IRB applications requiring Full IRB Review. View deadlines.
• IRB approval will be granted for a determined length of time not to exceed one year. The IRB approval expiration date will be specified in the approval letter.
• Continuing review is required for re-approval if the research is to continue beyond the expiration date. The continuing review request must be reviewed by the Full IRB at its monthly meeting unless one of the following applies: 1) the research is permanently closed to the enrollment of new subjects; all subjects have completed all research related interventions; and the research remains active only for long-term follow-up of subjects; or 2) where no subjects have been enrolled and no additional risks have been identified; or 3) where the remaining research activities are limited to data analysis; or 4) continuing review of research, not conducted under an investigational new drug application or investigational device exemption where categories for expedited approval do not apply, but the IRB has determined and documented at a convened meeting that the research involves no greater than minimal risk and no additional risks have been identified.
• Signed consent is required unless the IRB grants a waiver.

What Types of Research Require Full IRB Review?

Research that requires full committee review includes one or more of the following:

• Prisoners
• Pregnant Women
• Fetuses
• Human in Vitro Fertilization
• Mentally Disabled Persons
• Microwaves or X-Rays
• General Anesthesia or Sedation
• Greater than Minimal Risks (than those anticipated under exempt & expedited research, e.g., questions about abuse, illegal activities).
• Vulnerable Populations (see definitions, below)

This list is not exhaustive. The final decision as to whether an application is reviewed by the Board at a convened meeting is that of the IRB Chair and/or Board.

Minimal Risk

Minimal risk means that the probability and magnitude of the harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.

Vulnerable Populations

Individuals whose willingness to volunteer in a study or clinical trial may be unduly influenced by the expectation, whether justified or not, of benefits associated with participation, or of a retaliatory response from senior members of a hierarchy in case of refusal to participate. Examples are members of a group with a hierarchical structure, such as medical, pharmacy, dental, and nursing students, subordinate hospital and laboratory personnel, employees of the pharmaceutical industry, members of the armed forces (i.e., ROTC or Corps of Cadets), and persons kept in prison or detention. Other vulnerable subjects include patients with incurable diseases, persons in nursing homes, unemployed or impoverished persons, patients in emergency situations, ethnic minority groups, homeless persons, nomads, refugees, minors, and those incapable of giving consent.