Faculty Considerations

Faculty Research

Research conducted by faculty that will involve collecting data from human subjects will require IRB review before it is initiated. If you have questions about obtaining IRB approval or would like guidance on how to submit a research application, contact the IRB at irb@liberty.edu.

Research Participation Requests

As part of the LU academic community, you may occasionally receive requests to participate or for your students to participate in research activities.

• For external researcher solicitations (i.e., the researcher is not an LU student or faculty member) involving student participation, LU’s IRB will need to review the study documents, and administration will evaluate whether students should participate. Please forward such inquiries to the IRB.
• If participation is specific to you, decide for yourself whether to take part, but be wary of studies that may present LU in a negative light or attempt to collect proprietary information. If you have any doubts or concerns, please forward the study information to the IRB. Additionally, research participation is voluntary, so you can simply decline.

Class Assignments Involving Human Subjects Research

Class assignments involving data collection from individuals are usually not intended to lead to generalizable results. As such, class projects are typically not considered human subjects research. To confirm that IRB review is not needed for a class assignment, please contact the IRB at irb@liberty.edu.

In-Class IRB Presentations

Would you like to have an IRB representative give a guest lecture or provide an in-class workshop for your students?

• If so, contact us! We would be happy to stop by and provide course or discipline-specific guidance on how to navigate the IRB process.
• These sessions can be as long or as short as you need. We would be happy to speak on the history of the IRB, the IRB application process, or simply offer a Q&A session.