Office of Research Assurances

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Washington State University Institutional Review Board (IRB)

When is IRB Review Required Table?

No IRB Review Required
IRB Review Required
Secondary data sets
  1. without identifiers
  2. with identifiers and no private information
 Secondary data sets with
  1. identifiers
  2. private information
Unidentified specimens or cell lines
  1. from other institutions
  2. commercially available
 Identified specimens or cell lines
  1. from other institutions
  2. commercially available (banking for genetic research)
Publicly available data:
  1. census data, labor statistics, etc…
  2. officially, publicly archived and available upon request
    • If only electronically available, access is not restricted by means such as a password unless the password is used only to require registration by users
    • No site policy prohibits public access to the data
    • The topic is not highly sensitive
 Note: Internet data may not always be publicly available. Contact the IRB if the data qualifies as "publicly available."
Data collection for admin purposes:
  1. improving services/programs
  2. developing services/programs
  3. evaluating services/programs
 Data collection for admin purposes:
  1. which may lead to publication
Use of existing literature  
Interviews and surveys that focus on:
  1. things
  2. products
  3. policies
 Interviews and Surveys that focus on people and their:
  1. experiences
  2. opinions
  3. sensitive information
Biography of an individual that is not generalizable Biography of an individual that is generalizable
Oral history of an individual that is not generalizable Oral history of an individual that is generalizable
Single patient case histories Multiple patient case histories
Deceased individuals Note: Some research in this category (such as genetic studies) that requires participants to provide private or medical information about live relatives may need IRB review. Contact the IRB for further guidance.
Class related projects, including:
  1. research methods
  2. class discussion on or for the purpose of training in research methods
    • Examples: MIT, undergraduate class projects, nursing, speech and hearing, exercise science, etc…
 Class related projects:
  1. which may lead to generalizable knowledge
  2. including all masters, dissertations, theses, and publications which may be published or publicly disseminated
  3. involving sensitive and identifiable information
This table is a guide to assist researchers in determining if their activities should be reviewed by the IRB. All researchers must comply with the policies and procedures in the IRB manual.
Version: February 2008
Institutional Review Board, P.O. Box 643005 Albrook 205, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-3005
IRB Coordinator: Malathi Jandhyala, irb@wsu.edu, Phone: 509-335-3668, Fax: 509-335-6410
Director, Office of Research Assurances: David Clark, Phone: 509-335-1585