Determining IRB Exemption
Please answer the following questions to determine if your research qualifies for IRB Exemption:
- Are your participants younger than 18 years of age?
- Are you using deception as part of your study?
- Will participants be asked to report their own or others' sexual experiences, alcohol or drug use, and will their identities be known to you?
- Are the participants' data directly or indirectly identifiable, and could these data place subjects at risk of criminal or civil liability, or might they be damaging to the subjects' financial standing, employability or reputation?
- Will you be recording the subjects' participation by video or audio for reasons other than transcription?
- Are any participants confined in a correctional or detention facility, including involuntary assignment to community-based alternatives to incarceration (drug treatment facilities, etc.)?
- Are participants involved who may not be legally/mentally/cognitively competent?
- Are personal records (medical, academic, etc.) used with identifiers and without written consent?
- Will alcohol or drugs be administered to the subjects?
- Will blood/body fluids be drawn from participants?
If you answer "NO" to all the above questions, then your research may be EXEMPT. Please complete the "Application for Exempt Research." Please note that the SFA IRB could determine your research does not qualify for exemption. If that is the case, you will receive an email indicating so.
If you answer "YES" to any of the above questions, then your research is NOT EXEMPT, and you need to complete the non-exempt application "Application for Expedited or Full Board Research" (see section, "Applications").
Application Submission to the IRB
After determining if your research qualifies for IRB Exemption, please select and complete the APPROPRIATE application from the Forms list. Next, send an email with your attached application and supporting materials ( e.g., recruiting materials, survey questions, interview guide, site approval letter, etc.) to irb@sfasu.edu.
Please note: if the application is sent from the PI's or Chair's/Dean's office SFA email account, then a physical signature is not required.
- Please allow between 2 to 5 business days for the IRB to complete Exemption determination.
- Please allow between 3 to 10 business days for the IRB to complete Expedited determination.
- Please allow between 10 to 30 business days for the IRB to complete a Full Review approval determination.