Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) must review all proposals for research that will involve human participants to ensure the safety and privacy of participants and the confidentiality of the information that will be collected from and about them. The IRB consists of faculty members from various Liberty departments and one non-university member.

The IRB is part of Liberty University’s Research Ethics Office, which is responsible for ensuring that all research conducted by Liberty University faculty, staff, and students is done in accordance with federal regulations and university policy. Human subjects research is regulated by the federal government through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections.

Research Assistance

IRB Process Timeline

When an IRB application is received—either on the day it arrives or the next business day if submitted on a weekend or holiday—it is assigned to a coordinator. Within 1 to 3 business days, the coordinator conducts a quick scan to ensure all required documents and responses were included.

If anything is missing or incomplete, the coordinator adds comments and returns the application to the researcher for revision. Once all necessary documents are satisfactory, the study is marked ready for review.

This triage process may occur up to two times before a meeting is scheduled with the researcher (and faculty supervisor, if applicable) to resolve any remaining issues.

Within 15 to 20 business days after a study is determined to be ready for review, the assigned coordinator conducts a preliminary review, and if necessary, returns the application and any documents with revision instructions to the researcher(s). The preliminary review is a comprehensive review of the application and all study documents.

Within 10 business days of receiving a revised application, the assigned coordinator checks to confirm that all required changes were made. If revisions are incomplete or new updates require further changes, the application is returned to the researcher with instructions.

This revision cycle may occur up to three times before a meeting is scheduled with the researcher (and faculty supervisor, if applicable) to resolve any remaining issues.

Studies are categorized based on participants, procedures, and risk level.

Minimal-risk studies may require a second review by another coordinator or IRB member within 3 business days after the initial review.
Greater-than-minimal-risk studies require full committee review, typically scheduled within 10 business days after coordinator review is complete.

Once all required revisions are complete—confirmed by the coordinator, secondary reviewer, or full committee—the assigned coordinator finalizes the study documents by removing comments and accepting edits. The documents are saved to the researcher’s Study Details page in Cayuse, and the approval letter is issued.

A modification is a request to change an already approved study. This is different from a revision, which refers to changes requested by the IRB before approval.

Modifications must be approved before changes are implemented. They are submitted through Cayuse and reviewed within 3 business days of receipt. Instructions are available in the Cayuse How-Tos (PDF).

Examples include changes to:

Study personnel
Participants
Procedures
Study sites

If you're unsure whether a modification is needed, contact the IRB for guidance.

Studies approved through full review are valid for a set period—usually one year. One month before expiration, researchers receive an email notification from Cayuse.

If data collection or analysis is still ongoing, continuing review must occur to remain in compliance. If the study is complete, researchers should contact the IRB to request study closure.

The average IRB review process time from receipt of an application by the IRB to approval is 1 to 2 months. IRB review is a collaborative process, and each application’s review time depends on the complexity of the planned study and whether researchers respond to revision requests in a timely and comprehensive manner.
Pre-Review status: Upon receipt by the IRB and until the point of approval, applications are listed as in Pre-Review on researchers’ Cayuse dashboards. They will not be listed as Under Review until the approval process has begun.

Submit an IRB Application through Cayuse IRB (Human Ethics)

IRB applications must be submitted to the IRB through Cayuse.
Please only log in to Cayuse when you are sure you are ready to apply for IRB approval.
For instructions on logging in and creating your application, view Cayuse How Tos (PDF) and Cayuse FAQs (PDF).
After receiving IRB approval, any modifications, incident reports, or renewal applications must be submitted through Cayuse.
If you receive a “forbidden” message when you attempt to log in to Cayuse, please submit an access request. We’ll need to create your profile in Cayuse, and you will have access on the following day.

Application Checklist

Before you get started on your IRB application, review this checklist (PDF)! Using this checklist will ensure that you have all of the required supplemental documents.

Incomplete submissions to the IRB will be immediately returned.

Supporting Document Templates

With the exception of studies that will only involve the use of publicly accessible data, supporting documents will be needed to conduct your research. Examples include participant-facing documents, like recruitment information and consent forms, and documents used to seek and obtain the permission of study sites. Additionally, the IRB application provided through Cayuse IRB (Human Ethics) will require you to attach supporting documents based on your planned research procedures as indicated by your application responses.

We provide templates for supporting documents and strongly encourage you to use them. The templates, along with descriptions of when each should be used, are located on our Supporting Document Templates page.

Guidance for Researchers

IRB Policies

To ensure that researchers remain compliant with federal regulations and institutional requirements, the IRB has developed the following policies:

Regulatory Information

Human subjects research is governed by numerous guidelines, regulations, and policies:

IRB Assurance: FWA#: 00016439; Expires 2/28/2029
Registration: IORG#: 0006023; Expires 10/25/2026
Verification: OHRP Website for Verification

Research Opportunities

Liberty University fosters an environment focused on academic achievement and excellence in research. Explore the opportunities below:

IRB

(434) 592-5530
(434)-522-0506 (fax)
irb@liberty.edu

The Graduate School

gradschool@liberty.edu
Green Hall, Room 2846

Research Ethics Office

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
Institutional Review Board (IRB)