| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Activities Involving Human Subjects Research | Outlines the Institutional Review Board's responsibility for protecting the individuals who are subjects in UMass research activities and clarifies and defines the types of activity, both research and non-research, that involves human subjects. |
| Adverse Events Reporting | Guidance for researchers for when reporting adverse events in research to the IRB, and in some cases, Federal agencies and sponsors is required by Federal regulations. |
| Advertising and Subject Recruitment | Describes the recruitment of research subjects as part of the informed consent process and the required recruitment plan that must be approved by the IRB. |
| Assent Guidance for Minors | Provides general guidelines for creating an assent form for research studies where children are involved. |
| Audio/Video/Digital Recordings of Research Participants | Provides IRB guidance on the timeframes for the destruction of audio, video, or digital recordings which contain research participants' images, voices or other personally identifiable information. |
| Baystate Collaborations | Provides guidance for UMass Amherst researchers working with Baystate collaborators who may be eligible to seek IRB review at Baystate only thereby avoiding the requirement for both UMass and Baystate IRB review. |
| Biological Specimens & Private Information | An advanced topic video focused on activities involving biological specimens and other private information, which is best suited for viewing by individuals already possessing a basic understanding of the HHS regulations for the protection of human subjects. |
| Certificates of Confidentiality Tip Sheet | Describes the use of Certificates of Confidentiality issued by the National Institute of Health (NIH) to help researchers protect identifiable research information from forced disclosures such as court orders and subpoenas. |
| Classroom Research Projects and the IRB | Outlines what studies constitute "classroom projects" which do not meet the regulatory definition of research and therefore do not require IRB review or approval. |
| Closing a Protocol | Close requests must be submitted upon completion of the IRB study. For the purposes of submitting the IRB final report, the study will be considered complete if only data analysis using de-identified data remains. Also outlines the requirements for submission of final reports upon study completion. |
| Compensating Participants in Human Subjects Research | Provides information on rules that govern the disbursement of compensation for participants in human subjects research. |
| Data Monitoring | Describes the regulatory requirement that the IRB determine that research plans submitted provide adequate provisions for monitoring data collected to ensure the safety of subjects. |
| Debriefing Process Guidance | Provides guidelines for preparing a Kuali Protocol submission that incorporates deception and/or requires a debriefing process. |
| Education Research Settings | Provides information to determine if a study is exempt from IRB review, issues to consider if submitting, and guidelines for conducting research in educational settings. |
| Ethnographic Research | Provides guidance on ethnography-specific research and its intersection with the IRB and federal regulations. |
| Extra Credit for Participating in Research | Provides guidance on offering extra credit for participating in research. |
| Focus Group Research | Provides guidance to consider when convening focus groups as a way to gather data from multiple participants. |
| HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Privacy Rule | Explains how HIPAA regulations affect the use of protected health information (person-identifiable information produced as a result of health-care services) in research. |
| International Affective Picture System (IAPs) | Provides guidance for researchers submitting protocols with images known as International Affective Picture System (IAPS), designed to elicit an emotional response from research participants. |
| Mandatory Reporting in Research | Defines the term "mandatory reporting" and identifies which individuals engaged in human subject research are required by law to report the abuse of children when uncovered as part of that research. |
| MTurk Guidance | Provides guidance and elements to be considered when utilizing Amazon's Mechanical Turk to conduct human subject research over the Internet. |
| Native Nations Research and Creative Activities | Research involving or impacting Native Nations requires special consideration due to the legal status of federally recognized tribes. |
| NIH Single IRB Policy for Multi-site Research Guidance | Describes changes affecting NIH policies governing Single IRBs for Multi-Site research. The guidance provides step by step guidance for researchers and staff to understand the significant changes which will affect NIH sponsored activities and human subjects research. |
| Online Survey Platforms | Describes online survey platforms, how academic researchers are using them, and what to consider when submitting a study that uses them. |
| Oral and Short Form Written Consent | Outlines the process for the use of oral and short form written consent designed to provide a mechanism for individuals with limited English language proficiency to participate in human subject research where their lack of proficiency would otherwise be a barrier to their participation. |
| Oral History | Describes what is meant by the term "oral history" based on guidance put forth by the Office of Human Research Protection. |
| Recruiting at UMass | Outlines guidance for researchers not affiliated with UMass Amherst who wish to recruit students, faculty, or staff as research participants. |
| Research in Higher Education Settings | Provides information to determine if a study is exempt from IRB review, issues to consider if submitting, and guidelines for conducting research in higher education settings. |
| Research in K-12 Settings | Provides information to determine if a study is exempt from IRB review, issues to consider if submitting, and guidelines for conducting research in K-12 settings. |
| Research Involving Minors | Outlines regulations and policies associated with doing research that involves minors. |
| Screening Activities Used to Determine Eligibility for Participation in Research | Describes items to consider for having potential participants engage in some type of screening activity to determine their eligibility for participation in a study. |
| Screening Script | Text for a short script, which should be read before offering a screening questionnaire to determine if potential participants are eligible for the study. |
| Sensitive Topics | Provides guidance on what must be done if your study deals with sensitive topics, such as alcohol/drug use, suicide or child abuse, or uses the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Participants should be forewarned in the informed consent form that they will be asked questions on sensitive topics. |
| Social Media Research Guidance | Provides guidance to researchers on the use of social media and its intersection with human subjects research. The guidance recommends best practices in this ever-changing field of study. |
| Student Researchers and Advisor Guidance | Provides guidelines for students conducting research involving human subjects. Student researchers are subject to the same policies and procedures as faculty members. |
| Study Personnel | Defines who the University of Massachusetts Amherst considers study personnel. |
| Subject Recruitment Databases | Describes items to consider when researchers want to maintain subject information for the purpose of future recruitment. Researchers must submit such a request to the IRB. Databases must be maintained by one responsible qualified UMass researcher and in most cases subjects will fill out a consent form agreeing to the inclusion of their information into such a system. |
| Suicidal Ideation Response Guidance | This guidance gives the general action plans that will be required for all studies that involve questions about suicidality but is particularly meant to support researchers who are not experts in the specific field of depression and suicidality. |
| Survey Guidelines | Provides guidance on items to consider when conducting surveys or questionnaires as a way to gather data from many participants. |
| Types of Review | Explains the different types of review required for research involving human subjects. |