Institutional Review Board
Novelution Online Protocol Submission System
The UND IRB will soon be launching an online protocol submission system developed by Novelution. System demonstrations took place for faculty and students during late August/early September. 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: Watch Archive
If you are interested in submitting a protocol via the system before it launches to the entire campus, please contact the IRB office.
Human Subjects Research during COVID-19
We understand that current remote working/teaching/learning requirements greatly limit a researcher's access to campus to continue conducting human subjects research. The UND IRB has implemented strategies to assist researchers during this time:
- Data collection activities for human research studies that involve direct contact with participants (including but not limited to: face-to-face interviews, focus groups, observation, assessments, etc.) are still discouraged. Researchers are strongly encouraged to utilize virtual platforms for all data collection activities. However, if you believe your research goals are best served by collecting in-person data, a new process has been put in place by the Office of the Vice President for Research & Economic Development to request approval for the conduct of in-person data collection with human participants. This process is separate from IRB review of research and must be completed before a protocol is submitted to the UND IRB.
- UND IRB has developed guidance to inform researchers about best practices and to assist in identifying issues to consider when conducting research via online platforms: Guidance for Conducting Human Subjects Research Studies Online
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.