Information for Faculty Advisors of Student Researchers

Any student serving as the primary researcher/principal investigator (PI) for a study involving human subjects must have a faculty or staff adviser actively engaged in the research project.

Only the IRB may provide a final determination for students to begin their projects. Faculty members may not give permission without a written IRB determination. The IRB cannot retroactively issue a determination under any circumstances. Students who initiate projects prior to a written IRB determination are engaging in research misconduct and cannot use the data for any publications or presentations.

After students submit a protocol via OneAegis, it will be routed directly to the faculty/staff adviser (via an auto-notification email sent to your SU address). That advisor must sign an attestation regarding the advisor's role and the protocol's accuracy and completeness. Then the protocol will come to the IRB for initial processing.

As part of their role, advisors must:

• Complete human subjects training and provide CITI certificates to their advisees;
• Review all parts of the advisee’s protocol before signing, paying particular attention to the consent process, evidence of site permissions to conduct research, and evidence of a data storage plan;
• Check in with the student PI periodically during research;
• Ensure the PI submits Modification requests, Continuing Reviews, and Close-Out Reports.

Faculty advisors, please be aware that if you go ahead and approve a submission in OneAegis that is missing significant parts of the protocol, the IRB will likely send the submission back to your student. The student will then have to make revisions and re-submit the application for your review and signature... which will significantly delay the review process.