Research ethics principles and applications

Institutional Review Boards

What is an IRB?

IRBs (institutional review boards) were convened to oversee research in organizations receiving federal funds and created to protect human participants from research that is risky, harmful, or does not respect the rights and dignity of human beings (Royse, 2010).

Identify the three types of IRB review.

The three types of IRB review are exempt, expedited, or full review.

If you were to create a plan to evaluate a program or intervention, what level of IRB review would it need? Why?

To evaluate a rehabilitation program for prisoners, a full review is required because exemptions cannot be granted for projects that involve minors, unless it is a regular school setting, prisoners, fetuses, or mentally disabled persons.

Imagine if your evaluation plan included the use of special populations. Identify ethical challenges you might face.

"Some of the most egregious violations of human subjects have taken place in prisons where drug experiments and other risky medical procedures were carried out…" (Royse, 2010). The full review must have the prisoner or a prisoner representative in attendance. Cultural sensitivity is an issue, especially where female inmates are interviewed by male researchers. Interviews where participants are asked to relive negative experiences can cause low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy with participants. The use of deception can cause distrust with participants and can affect the validity of the research project. Large financial incentives affect the validity and reliability of the research project.

5. Discuss how you would weigh out the risks and benefits to decide if you should move forward with your evaluation plan.

When confronted with an ethical dilemma, first examine the options. Determine alternatives and ramifications of each decision. Write the problem down as seen. Conduct a literature review to determine how other researchers handled the issue. Check all codes of ethics to apply appropriate ethical principles. Discuss the problem with trusted colleagues and professionals. As for a consultation with the IRB for feedback. Talk with a supervisor. Deliberate and decide.

6. Summarize the possible ramifications if a program did not use an IRB review for potential research projects.