Who Must Apply for IRB Approval

Any Principal Investigator related to Mount Holyoke College who engages in scholarly research involving human subjects, either on- or off-campus, must apply to the IRB for approval of the research. In addition, researchers not affiliated with Mount Holyoke College who are conducting primary research with human subjects on campus must also apply to the IRB for approval, unless their project is a multi-site project for which they have identified and received approval from a designated IRB. In that case, the designated IRB will enter into an agreement with Mount Holyoke’s IRB. Proper paperwork will be filed that indicates which IRB is responsible for the ethical conduct of the work. Such approval must be obtained before undertaking the research.

For help with determining if IRB approval is required, please use the Pre-Proposal Survey in the Mentor IRB system. To see the survey, follow the directions in Mentor IRB for creating a new proposal.