Institutional Review Board

Novelution Online Protocol Submission System

Beginning July 1, 2021, all new IRB protocols must be submitted via the online protocol submission system developed by Novelution. System demonstrations took place for faculty and students during late August/early September, 2020. If you were unable to attend a demonstration, you are strongly encouraged to watch the video demonstration before interacting with the system.

How to Submit an IRB Protocol in Novelution

Human Subjects Research during COVID-19

With the emergence of new and more contagious variants, the UND IRB and Vice President for Research & Economic Development are strongly recommending that investigators limit in-person data collection activities and take any possible mitigation measures, such as delaying the data collection until virus spread is reduced and/or pivoting toward virtual data collection as much as possible. As part of the normal IRB review of protocols, a risk-benefit assessment is conducted to determine risks to participants, and in-person vs. virtual data collection will be part of the assessment. Investigators are urged to keep this in mind when writing protocols for submission and make the determination in advance of submission whether in-person data collection is critical for the conduct of the proposed research. For guidance on conducting research activities online, please consult the Guidance for Conducting Human Subjects Research Studies Online for tips and best practices in developing online research studies.

Accreditation

The University of North Dakota went through a rigorous process to become accredited in human research protections. Achieving full accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs,Inc. (AAHRPP) demonstrates UND's commitment to quality and accountability in its human research protection program, ensuring that all research participants receive the highest standard of protection.

Furthermore, accreditation means:

• UND is committed to the most comprehensive protections for research participants and the highest quality research.
• Research participants receive more comprehensive protection from UND.
• UND applies the federal safeguards to all research that involves human participants.
• UND maintains efficient systems for monitoring participant well-being.
• UND demonstrates the high quality of its human research protection program in meeting the rigorous accreditation standards and process.
• UND has a stronger, more cohesive research program committed to continuous improvement.
• UND goes beyond what is required by law to protect human participants and ensure integrity of research.