Institutional Review Board (IRB) & Human Research Subjects

The mission of Pratt Institute’s Human Research Subjects Committee/Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to ensure quality research involving human subjects conducted under the auspices of the University. The IRB is guided by ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report (1979) and legal mandates outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 45, Part 46 (2009).

All projects conducted at Pratt involving human subjects that meet the definition of research must be reviewed by the IRB. You may use the IRB Decision Tree [PDF] to see if your project meets the definition of research, and therefore requires IRB approval.

The main purpose of the IRB is to ensure the protection of human subjects through the review, approval, modification, or disapproval of research applications submitted by faculty, staff, or students. The IRB is responsible for communication, record keeping, reporting, monitoring, education of the campus community about ethical issues, and the overseeing of all research activity involving human subjects.

An application must be filled out and submitted to the IRB through this form for consideration. Applications submitted through other methods will not be accepted. Students are required to have a faculty member serve as an advisor for any student project.

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Requirement

Researchers are also required to take the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)’s online Responsible Conduct of Research training through Pratt Institute’s subscription. Once you complete your training and receive a certification of completion, please email the PDF to irb@pratt.edu.

• Pratt-specific guide on how to register for your CITI account and begin training [PDF]
• How to set up your CITI account [external link]
• How to download your certificate of completion [external link]

How to Submit Your Project for IRB Review

1. Use the IRB Decision Tree [PDF] to see if your project meets the definition of research. Read this document carefully. If there is any doubt as to whether or not your activities could qualify as human subject research, please contact us at irb@pratt.edu.
   1. Educational activities: While individual theses and research papers might need IRB approval, class projects distributed by instructors that are primarily educational activities do not require IRB approval. However, instructors are responsible for ensuring that the project is conducted ethically. For example, if students collect data from other students, the instructor should ensure that the students cannot be identified.
   2. Research component: If a class project has both an educational component and a research component (leading to publication, distribution, and/or upload to the Pratt Library and ProQuest), IRB review is required. This includes projects where the instructor plans to use the data collected by students for their own research.
   3. Systematic investigation: If the project is a systematic investigation that aims to contribute to generalizable knowledge, IRB review is required. This includes projects that contact human subjects or use archival data that could be connected to humans.
2. If your project meets the definition of research involving human subjects based on the IRB Decision Tree, complete the Human Subjects Research Application Form [PDF]. Do not include any additional documents like your thesis statement.
3. Complete the Consent Form for Adults [PDF] and/or Consent Form for Minors [PDF], as is applicable to your project.
4. Everyone listed on your application, including co-researchers, community collaborators, and faculty advisors, must be CITI-certified. If you are not yet certified with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)’s online Responsible Conduct of Research Training, set up your account and begin your training [PDF]. There are five required courses.
   1. Required Special Topics courses
      1. History and Ethics of Human Subjects Research
      2. Informed Consent
      3. Defining Research with Human Subjects
      4. Privacy and Confidentiality
   2. Required Foundations course
      1. Introduction to Community-Engaged Research
5.  Submit your project for review through the IRB Protocol Request Form. Email submissions will not be accepted. Please be advised that the minimum review time for applications is 30 days. This does not guarantee approval at 30 days— simply that the proposal will be reviewed by 30 days after submission. If revisions are required, then the turn-around time for each round can be up to two weeks. It is recommended that all applicants submit their IRB applications at least six weeks prior to the intended start of research.

Note: While you will be able to submit an IRB Human Subjects Research Application before completing CITI training, you may not publish your research until the Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships receives a certificate of your completion.

Pratt administration is unable to access your CITI certification unless you provide us with a PDF certification of your training. If you have already submitted and/or been approved by IRB, please add your certification of completion as a PDF to the email thread wherein you received your approval from irb@pratt.edu. If you have completed your CITI certification before submitting an IRB request, please include your certification of completion PDF with the rest of your application.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any additional questions, please contact irb@pratt.edu.