IRB Review Types

IRB review process types include the following three types. All IRB Applications, independently on the review type, should be submitted via IRB Engine (https://review-irb.auca.kg/) and will be reviewed within 14 business days. 

1. Exempt from review criteria:

1.1. Research poses not more than Minimal Risk to participants.

A study is considered to pose no more than Minimal Risk to the subjects when the probability of harm or discomfort that the subjects might experience in the research is not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life and in routine interaction with others.

1.2. Research is conducted in commonly accepted educational settings and involves standard educational practices such as research on regular educational strategies. Normal educational practices include research involving educational tests when subjects are not identified; surveys or interview in which the subject volunteer and do not indicate any personally identifiable information. 

1.3. The research involves observation of people in public places where interaction or intervention is not staged by the researcher, individuals have no reasonable expectations of privacy, and any dissemination of results does not identify specific individuals. 

1.4. Research uses already existing datasets where all data is originally de-identified, and usage of information from the datasets poses not more than Minimal Risk to the participants.

2. Expedited review criteria:

2.1. The research activities (or remaining research activities) present no more than Minimal Risk to Human Subjects.

A study is considered to pose no more than Minimal Risk to the subjects when the probability of harm or discomfort that the subjects might experience in the research is not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life and in routine interaction with others.

2.2. Identification of the subjects or their responses (or the remaining procedures involving identification of subjects or their responses) will NOT reasonably place them at risk of criminal or civil liability or be damaging to their financial standing, employability, insurability, reputation, or be stigmatizing, unless reasonable and appropriate protections will be implemented so that risks related to invasion of privacy and breach of confidentiality are no greater than Minimal Risk.

2.3. Research involving materials (data, documents, records, or specimens) that have been collected for any purpose, or will be collected solely for non-research purposes.

2.4. Collection of data from voice, video, digital, or image recordings made for research purposes.

2.5. Research on individual or group characteristics or behavior.

2.6. Research employing survey, interview, oral history, focus group, program evaluation, human factors evaluation, or quality assurance methodologies.

3. Full Board review criteria:

For any research that does not meet the criteria for Exempt or Expedited Status for the reasons of posing more than Minimal Risk to subjects (which can also be the result of collecting data from vulnerable populations and/or having sensitive questions, etc.) the Principal Investigator must complete and submit application for Full IRB Review. Full Board review applications are reviewed by IRB quorum and should be submitted according to the deadlines on IRB website.