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Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the difference between confidentiality and anonymity?

  • Confidentiality means that you know who gave what response, but you will keep their identity private.
    • Example: A face to face interview.
  • Anonymity means that you have no way of knowing who gave what response.
    • Example: An anonymous online survey.

For more information, visit the Confidentiality page.


Why didn’t the IRB return all of my documents after reviewing them?

The IRB only returns documents if revisions are required or if clarification is needed. If you do not receive a document back from the IRB after submitting it for review, this means that the document has met all of the IRB’s requirements and can be used once you receive your IRB approval letter.


What is the IRB process?

  1. Log in to Cayuse IRB with your Liberty credentials.
  2. Create a new study, and then create a new submission.
  3. Complete the initial submission and route for certification.
  4. You and your faculty sponsor will be asked to “certify” the submission.
  5. Once certified, the IRB will receive the submission and will begin its pre-review.
  6. Revisions may be requested.
  7. Once revisions are accepted, the IRB issues an approval letter.

Do I need IRB approval to start collecting data?

Yes. You cannot start collecting data without an approval letter from the IRB.


How long will it take to get my study approved?

The general timeline is one to two months. Simple projects may take as little as one month, but more complicated projects may take up to two months.


How do I submit an application?

The IRB uses Cayuse IRB to manage all submissions. If you are unable to log in to Cayuse IRB, please contact the IRB via email (irb@liberty.edu).

Log in to Cayuse IRB


What if I want to compensate my participants?

In general, you are welcome to provide compensation to your participants, however, there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Certain states outlaw the use of lotteries, raffles, or drawings as a means to compensate or recruit research participants. Please keep this in mind as you design your research project. If you need assistance, contact the IRB.
  • Any compensation above $600 within a single year is considered income and must be filed on the participant’s taxes.
  • If your study is grant funded, you may need to work with the Office of Sponsored Programs to properly compensate your participants.

I am unable to access Cayuse IRB. How do I find help?

If you are unable to access Cayuse IRB, you may not have a profile set up in the system. Users generally receive a red “forbidden” message when this occurs. If this happens to you, please submit an access request. We’ll need to create your profile, and you will have access on the following day. If you receive an error code other than the “forbidden” message or you are returned to our main web page when you attempt to navigate to Human Ethics on the Products drop-down menu from Cayuse’s Home (My Tasks) page, please email the IRB at irb@liberty.edu. Be sure to include a description of your experience and screenshots of any error codes.


I am an external researcher. How do I obtain approval to use Liberty participants?

If you are an external researcher (i.e., are not a current Liberty student, staff, or faculty member), you will need to have your study approved by our IRB before it can be distributed to Liberty populations. To receive this approval, please submit the following to irb@liberty.edu:

  • A brief description of your study purpose
  • A description of the Liberty population you wish to engage in the research
  • Evidence of IRB approval from your institution
  • Any study instruments (e.g., survey questions, interview guides)
  • Your recruitment materials
  • Your IRB-approved consent document

Once these items are received, the IRB will seek administrative approval for you to conduct your study with Liberty participants. Depending on the nature of the study, we may request additional information. Review of the proposed study in no way guarantees that Liberty will participate. However, Liberty supports the greater researcher community and will consider any such requests in good faith.


I am an LU researcher, and I would like to recruit LU students, staff, or faculty from all or multiple departments or schools as participants for a study. Can I have my study information emailed to LU participants?

LU is not currently sending research recruitment emails to potential student or faculty participants on researchers’ behalf. If you would like to recruit LU students as research participants, you should consider posting your study information to LU-student-created social media groups. Another option is to post a flyer advertising your study in various locations on campus. As with all forms of research recruitment, the planned wording for your social media post or your prepared flyer will need to be submitted to the IRB along with your IRB application for review and approval. Additionally, if you would like to hang a flyer, you will need to obtain permission to do so from Commuter Life after you’ve received IRB approval. Faculty may be contacted and invited to participate in research on an individual basis using their publicly available contact information.


Do I have to complete CITI training before I submit my IRB application?

No. CITI training must be completed prior to receiving IRB approval, but you do not necessarily need to have completed CITI training to submit your application for review. We will accept the application and begin our review, but IRB approval will not be granted until CITI training has been completed by all principal investigators and co-investigators. That said, we highly encourage applicants to complete CITI training prior to submitting an application.


I am an LU researcher planning to analyze de-identified LU student data. How do I request it?

  • On the Analytics and Decision Support webpage, select Reporting & Analytics.
  • You’ll next select Submit a Ticket and be routed to the Help Desk’s Service Now system.
  • Finally, complete and submit the request form.
  • Please note, if you are a student researcher, you may need to have your faculty chair/mentor assist with this process.

Can I include family or friends in my research?

Yes. The IRB does not necessarily restrict who you can include in your research. However, the reason we ask about your relationship to potential participants is to ensure that there is no coercion or undue influence. Participation in research should be entirely voluntary. For example, if you wanted to include a parent/child or close friend, we would want to be sure that they don’t feel pressured to participate simply because of that relationship. As long as you give each potential participant the same opportunity to review study information (consent) and they are informed that participation is entirely voluntary, you are welcome to invite them to participate in your study.


Can I use Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) for my survey?

Yes, but proceed cautiously. Ensure your survey variables are set up correctly and your compensation is not too high for the survey length. It is impossible to reverse a rejection once an MTurk worker receives one, and many MTurk workers take rejection rates very seriously as they affect how many HITs workers can take and how much money they can make. There have been instances of researchers, their friends and family members, and their IRB being harassed and even doxed online by angry participants who received a rejection or failure because the survey was set up incorrectly. Also, be aware that if you offer larger than customary compensation, bad actors may attempt to “speed run” the survey to earn more money. The IRB cannot assist researchers when these events occur. We strongly suggest you carefully and conscientiously set up your survey when using MTurk or have someone with experience assist you. An alternative to MTurk is Prolific.


When is documentation of permission or IRB approval from a study site needed?

  • When study procedures will take place at a site (e.g., a school, college or university, clinic, hospital, counseling office, etc.) or/and personnel at the site will participate by consenting participants, collecting data, analyzing data, etc., the site is engaged, and documentation of permission or IRB approval, as applicable to the site, is needed.
  • A study site is not engaged in a research study, and documentation of permission does not need to be submitted to the IRB if the site’s only involvement will be as follows:
    • Provide potential participants’ email addresses to a researcher for recruitment purposes,
    • Email study information to potential participants for a researcher for recruitment purposes,
    • Hang a study flyer or allow a researcher to hang a study flyer for recruitment purposes,
    • Make an announcement or allow a researcher to make an announcement about a study for recruitment purposes, OR
    • Post or allow a researcher to post study information on a website or social media page for recruitment purposes.
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