Salisbury University students on campus

Institutional Review Board on Human Subjects Research (IRB)

Salisbury University’s Institutional Review Board on Human Subjects Research (IRB) provides guidance to faculty, staff, and students conducting research with human participants. SU’s IRB independently reviews and assesses proposed research to ensure the safety and welfare of human subject participants. The IRB also works collaboratively with researchers to ensure that federal and state regulations are being followed.

Providing opportunities for student research for all majors

SU’s IRB operates under the key principles of the   Belmont Report

  • Respect for Persons  is the first principle which mandates that subjects voluntarily consent to participate in research, that they are adequately and thoroughly informed about the research and what is required, and that their privacy and confidentiality are protected.
  • Beneficence   is the second principle which mandates the risks of research are justified by potential benefits to the individual or society and that those risks are minimized.
  • Justice  is the third and final principle which mandates the equitable distribution of risks and benefits among those who may benefit from the research, meaning that one subset of a population should not take on all the burden of risk and reap all of the rewards; risks and rewards should be applicable and available to all subsets of a community.