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, it is assigned to a coordinator either on the same day or, if submitted on a weekend or holiday, on the next business day. Within 1 to 3 business days, the coordinator reviews the application for completeness and accuracy. If information is missing, incomplete, or unclear or if required documents were not submitted or the applicable templates, the coordinator will provide comments and return the application to the researcher for revision.

During triage, the coordinator may determine that an application is not ready for IRB review (NRR). In such cases, the review process is paused, and the application is returned to the researcher. Common reasons for an NRR determination include failure to pass the proposal defense for doctoral research, omission of a faculty chair or supervisor for student research, excessively lengthy responses to application questions, or other issues that prevent the application from being reviewed efficiently.

Within 10 business days of a researcher resubmitting a study after addressing the changes identified during triage, the assigned coordinator reviews the application to verify that the required changes have been made. The coordinator also conducts a comprehensive review of all study documents. If additional revisions are needed, the coordinator returns the application and relevant documents to the researcher with instructions for further revision.

Within 5 business days of receiving a revised application, the assigned coordinator reviews the submission to verify that all requested changes have been completed. If any revisions remain incomplete, or if the updates result in the need for additional changes, the coordinator returns the application to the researcher with instructions for further revision.

This revision cycle may occur up to three times. If unresolved issues remain after the third revision cycle, a meeting may be scheduled with the researcher and, if applicable, the faculty chair or supervisor, to address and resolve the outstanding concerns.

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

Certain minimal-risk studies undergo a secondary review by a second coordinator or a full committee member. The secondary review occurs within 3 business days of the assigned coordinator's completed review.
Greater-than-minimal-risk studies require full-committee review, which is typically scheduled within 10 business days after the coordinator's review is completed.

Once the coordinator, secondary reviewer, or full committee has confirmed that all required revisions have been addressed, the assigned coordinator finalizes the study documents by removing comments and accepting edits. The finalized documents are saved to the researcher's Study Details page in Cayuse, and the approval letter is issued.

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

Modifications must be approved by the IRB before any changes are implemented. Modifications are submitted through Cayuse and reviewed within 3 to 5 business days of receipt. Instructions for how to submit a modification are available in the Cayuse How-Tos (PDF).

Changes to the following aspects of a study generally require a modification submission and IRB approval:

Study personnel
Participants
Procedures
Participant compensation
Study sites

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

Studies approved by the full committee are valid for a set period—usually one year. One month before approval expiration, researchers receive an email notification from Cayuse with instructions regarding next steps.

If data collection or analysis is 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)