Institutional Review Board

General Information

Any member of the Barnard College faculty, staff, postdoctoral, and student bodies who plans to initiate research involving human subjects must submit a protocol for IRB review prior to beginning the project.

The Barnard IRB meets on the second Monday of every month while classes are in session, and as needed during the summer recess. In order to assure a timely review, please submit your application to the IRB at least 2 weeks before a scheduled meeting.

Most submissions to the IRB will fit into one of the three categories listed below.

New Proposal

Before initiating any research, the PI will need to provide the Barnard IRB with a completed copy of the Barnard College Application for the Approval of the Use of Human Subjects in Research

IRB Application Form

Barnard IRB Interactive Form

Supporting materials to be submitted with this form include:

• Pending, or approved funding proposals that include any of the studies described in this application
• Consent forms
• Any flyers, emails, or letters that will be used to solicit research participants
• Certificates of completion of the online human Human Subjects Protection Training module for all researchers involved in the proposed research (see FAQ’s for questions about this)

Continuing Research Proposal

All continuing research projects must be reviewed annually. If your research protocols were reviewed by Barnard IRB at the time of an initial proposal, you may simplify the application for an annual review of the continuing project by completing the Application for the Approval of the Use of Human Subjects in Continuing Research.

Applications for Research Conducted by Barnard Undergraduates

Research projects being conducted by Barnard undergraduates as part of a classroom exercise should not ordinarily be reviewed by the Barnard IRB.  If the researched data may be used as part of a larger published project, then IRB approval must be obtained.  However, the research mentor and the student researcher should complete the Student as PI Worksheet:

Student as PI Worksheet (word)

A copy of this completed form should be retained by the student and the mentor until the research project is complete.

This form is intended for pedagogically oriented undergraduate research. It is not appropriate for research projects initiated by Barnard faculty that include student research assistants.

Additional questions about IRB matters should be directed to either of the Barnard IRB Co-Chairs.