Review Timeline

IRB applications can be submitted on a rolling basis to irb@linfield.edu. Please allow up to three weeks for process and review.

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May 2023

Colleagues,

A short note from the Linfield IRB. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Linfield’s IRB is a committee of Linfield faculty responsible for reviewing research proposals to determine if the project follows the ethical principles and federal regulations for the protection of human subjects. Having an IRB is a federal requirement for all universities or other organizations receiving federal funds to conduct research involving human subjects. In addition to being required at the university level, IRB approval is necessary for researchers seeking to publish their work. Documentation of IRB approval is the required final step for research involving human subjects to be accepted in nearly every peer-reviewed journal. 

With regard to COVID restrictions for in-person research, Linfield’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) has determined that the conditions are such that face-to-face research may be permitted again. Face-to-face research should adhere to the same guidance currently being followed by Linfield University.  This includes guidelines for face coverings.

There is no maximum duration of contact for face-to-face research encounters, and no required square footage per person. However, physical distancing is recommended in light of the unknown vaccination status of those involved. 

We recommend being vaccinated. However, study team members cannot be required to provide information about their vaccination status nor can job duties be assigned on the basis of vaccination status. Furthermore, it is not appropriate to ask study participants, or potential study participants, about their vaccination status, unless covid vaccination is an inclusion or exclusion criterion approved by the IRB for a particular study.

This guidance applies to research in all settings involving human subjects, both on- and off-campus.

Please be aware of policies in place within your particular research settings and abide by those policies. When policies of the research setting are not consistent with Linfield University guidance, study teams should abide by the set of policies that provides the greatest COVID-19 risk mitigation.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Best,
Megan Kozak Williams
Associate Professor of Psychology
Chair IRB