Human Subjects Committee
The primary goal of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the rights and welfare of those individuals who agree to participate in research. All research involving the use of human subjects conducted by Fitchburg State College (FSC) faculty, staff, or students, or sponsored, in part or in whole, by FSC must be reviewed and approved prior to the start of the project and then conducted in full compliance with IRB policies and procedures.
Prior to Submitting an IRB Application
Prior to completing an application, please review the Fitchburg State College Institutional Review Board Policies and Procedures Involving the Use of Human Subjects in Research (3/03). Please click on the link below to obtain a copy of the PDF version.
Institutional Review Board Policies (PDF)
Prior to submitting an IRB proposal, the members of the Human Subjects Committe recommend that each researcher complete the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams available at
Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams (web page will open in new window)
This free, web-based course presents information about the rights and welfare of human participants in research. You will need to register to take the tutorial however there is no charge for it. The two-hour tutorial is designed for those involved in conducting research involving human participants. It satisfies the NIH human subjects training requirement for obtaining federal funds. You will have the option of printing a certificate of completion from your computer after completing the course.
The Application Process
IRB Application in MS Word (save this to your computer)
Download a copy of the Fitchburg State College Application for the Conduct of Research Involving Human Subjects by clicking of the above link. This application is a Microsoft Word Form that should be saved to your computer, completed as an electronic form, and sent via email to humansubjects@fsc.edu
The Signature Page of the application must be printed, signed, and forwarded with any supporting materials to the Human Subjects Committee Chair - Dr. Jannette McMenamy, Behavioral Sciences (ext 4643).
The electronic application and the printed and signed Signature Page must be received prior to any review by the Human Subjects Committee.
Please contact the Human Subjects Committee with any questions at humansubjects@fsc.edu
|
