A study often requires full board review if it involves:

• More than minimal risk 
• Vulnerable populations 
• Sensitive topics with potential harm 
• Deception that could cause distress 
• Data that could cause legal/social consequences if disclosed 
• High-risk contexts or environments 

1. Studies involving vulnerable populations

• Research with prisoners or individuals under criminal justice supervision 
• Studies with undocumented immigrants facing potential legal or social risk 
• Projects involving youth in foster care or residential treatment 
• Research with individuals who have impaired decision-making capacity 

2. Studies collecting highly sensitive or incriminating information

• Surveys or interviews about illegal behaviors 
• Studies involving sexual behavior, assault, or intimate partner violence 
• Ethnographic work involving criminal or underground activities 
• Research on workplace harassment or discrimination with identifiable data 

3. Studies using deception that may cause more than minimal risk

• Experiments involving stress, social pressure, or emotionally challenging tasks 
• Protocols using false feedback that could affect self-esteem 
• Studies involving staged conflict or authority manipulation 

4. Research involving intrusive or higher-risk interventions

• Exposure to distressing images or trauma-related content 
• Virtual reality activities that may trigger anxiety or motion sickness 
• Usability or design studies conducted in potentially hazardous environments 

5. Projects with significant social, political, or legal risk

• Studies in politically sensitive or high-surveillance settings 
• Research involving extremist or hate groups 
• Projects involving activists, whistleblowers, or organizers with identifiable data 

6. Studies with complex privacy or data-security concerns

• Linking research data to court, welfare, or disciplinary records 
• Collecting biometric data such as facial or voice recordings 
• Analyzing digital trace data tied to personal accounts 

7. International research in higher-risk settings

• Work conducted in conflict zones or disaster areas 
• Surveys on political attitudes in countries where dissent is risky 
• Research in locations with limited legal or ethical protections 

Applications requiring full board review are required to submit by the 10th of the month to be reviewed for the next month’s meeting, the first Thursday of the month. Please refer to the IRB calendar.

The IRB Administrator, under the direction of the IRB Chair, will assign submissions to a primary and secondary IRB reviewer for presentation at the full board meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the board votes and issues a determination.

Within one week after the meeting, the analyst will send a letter indicating one of the following:

• Approval: This letter indicates nothing else is needed and you may proceed using the protocol or other documents uploaded in the submission.
• Approval Withheld: This letter will include minor modifications required to the submission before the submission can be approved. Once the modifications are made and submitted, the analyst will review the submission and send the approval letter.
• Tabled: This letter indicates that there are substantive additional information or outstanding clarifications required involving the study design or risk. Once the submission is updated with the requested changes from the panel, the submission will need to return to panel for review. Please note that the submission must return to the same panel that originally reviewed it.
• Disapproved: This letter indicates that the board has major concerns and substantive additional information is required. This means that the application will need to be rewritten to address these concerns. New applications must be submitted to the board at least 2 weeks before the next schedules meeting you wish to be reviewed at.