The materials below are keyed to the ethical principles of respect, beneficence, and justice, and will assist investigators and supervisors of student projects in observing these principles in all inquiries that involve gathering information from or about people.
PLEASE NOTE: IRB forms should be opened and saved in Microsoft Word. They will not convert to Google Docs or Forms.
Type 1 Projects
Faculty and Staff investigators
Required: Read the St. Olaf Statement of Principles.
Recommended: Ethics Plan (especially for first-time investigators), CITI training. Optional advisory review is available – submit the Ethics Plan and attachments to the IRB administrator, if desired.
Student investigators AND SUPERVISORS OF STUDENT PROJECTS
Required (for students and supervisors): Read the St. Olaf Statement of Principles. Student(s) should submit Ethics Plan to Project Supervisor. Supervisor must review the plan before investigation can start. Supervisor may use this Ethics Plan Review Form.
Recommended (for students and supervisors): CITI training. Optional advisory review is available – Project Supervisor should submit the Ethics Plan and attachments to the IRB administrator to request a review, if desired.
Type 2 and Type 3 Projects
Faculty and Staff investigators
Required: Complete relevant CITI training; must be renewed every 3 years. Submit Ethics Plan and attachments to IRB administrator for review. Exception: Investigators who are deputized* could send Type 2 project information for filing or could request review.
Student investigators and Supervisors of student projects
Required (for students and supervisors): Complete relevant CITI training; must be renewed every 3 years. Student(s) should submit Ethics Plan and attachments to Project Supervisor. The Supervisor must review the Ethics Plan and attachments and send them to the IRB Administrator. If Supervisor is deputized*, Supervisor could request review or could review the project using the Ethics Plan Review Form and submit that with all materials to the IRB administrator for filing.
*Deputization
A faculty or staff investigator is granted deputization upon successful application for review by the IRB. Deputized faculty or staff have the authority to review and approve Type 2 projects conducted by themselves or by student investigators under their supervision. Deputization is valid for three years from the approval date. Type 3 projects still require submission of an application.
Example: Faculty A submitted an ethics plan and received approval for a Type 2 or Type 3 project from the IRB on September 1, 2019 and is now deputized. For the next 3 years (through August 31, 2022), for any Type 2 projects that Faculty A is conducting or supervising, she will only be required to submit project information to the IRB Administrator for filing. (In the case of student projects, Faculty A should also submit her own review of the project, as described above.) Faculty A would still need to submit an application to the IRB for a Type 3 project.
Ethics Training Instructional Material
Project Information for Participants worksheet
Unless an investigator is analyzing existing data previously gathered by someone else, the investigator will need to prepare project information for prospective participants. This worksheet will assist investigators in preparing complete project information.
St. Olaf Statement of Principles
An educational handout summarizing the basics of research ethics in inquiries involving people, developed by the St. Olaf IRB.
CITI ethics training website
St. Olaf subscribes to the University of Miami’s Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI), which provides on-line mini-courses in research ethics to investigators in thousands of academic institutions, government agencies, and commercial organizations within and beyond the US. This link takes you directly to the CITI website where specific courses can be completed. Different types of projects require completion of different courses; see the link below for guidance.
How to access and complete CITI ethics training
Detailed information about the different courses provided by CITI to St. Olaf investigators and supervisors, with guidance about the courses that are most appropriate for specific types of projects and step-by-step instructions for navigating the CITI website.
Oral History Projects
What is an Oral History?
Information on the principles of oral histories as well as links and resources for students and faculty planning to conduct an oral history project. Here you can find the required consent forms/permissions and a project plan to be completed by students.