Step 1: Check if your students need HPRB review
Start with the Classroom Research Policy. If you are still unsure if HPRB review is necessary, you or your students can go to the online submission site, Mentor, and complete a diagnostic pre-survey. This will help you determine whether the project meets the federal definition of Human Subjects Research (HSR) and, if so, what kind of review is recommended: exempt, expedited, or full board review.
Human Subjects Research (HSR) is…
a systematic investigation—including research development, testing, and evaluation—involving a living individual about whom you obtain:
- data through intervention or interaction (including surveys and interviews), and/or
- identifiable private information in a form that can be linked with that individual.
designed to develop or contribute to “generalizable knowledge.” Findings disseminated with the intent to influence behavior, practice, theory, future research designs, etc. are contributing to generalizable knowledge.
When in doubt, contact the HPRB (hprb@plu.edu) and we can help you figure it out.