Institutional Review Board

Savannah State University (SSU) has an established Institutional Review Board (IRB) responsible for reviewing proposed research involving human subjects to ensure that the rights and welfare of the subjects are protected.

Projects involving human subjects at SSU must have IRB approval prior to project initiation.

Research involving human subjects falls under the oversight of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). An overview of federal law and regulations governing human subjects research and SSU guidelines is provided.

SSU IRB Guidelines

Before Research Can Begin:

Faculty, staff or students who plan to conduct research involving human subjects (including surveys) must submit a request for IRB review and obtain approval by the IRB for the proposed research before the research can be initiated.
Any research conducted before IRB approval is obtained will not be approved.
All investigators involved in the research project must also complete the Human Subjects Research (HSR) module of the CITI training service.

Required Application Package

To request a review of the proposed research involving human subjects, the investigator must submit the following to irb@savannahstate.edu.

1. IRB Application: Download and send the electronic form to the IRB along with accompanying documentation

2. Summary of proposed research protocol - attach to Request for IRB review form

3. Proposed Testing/Survey instrument(s) - attach to Request for IRB review form

4. Certificate of completion of Human Subjects Research module of CITI - attach to Request for IRB review form

5. Consent Form

6. Recruitment flyer and letter of support, as applicable

Faculty requesting a Class Waiver for training students to conduct research

Faculty who want to teach how research is conducted using supervised research projects as a means of contributing to the students’ individual knowledge and training in a particular academic discipline do not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for each student. Instead, the instructor of the class will need to complete the Class Waiver Form.

Specifically, if the project is not intended to contribute to advances in generalizable knowledge, nor are the results of such activities to be published, presented or archived, then the research does not need IRB approval. To be eligible for the class waiver, the applications must fit the following requirements.

1. No publication and no presentation outside of the course for which the research is being done
2. No use of minors or vulnerable populations (prisoners, non-English-speaking persons, persons lacking the capacity to give informed consent)
3. The risk is not more than “minimal” Minimal risk is when “the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests”
4. No use of deception
5. No videotaping or audio recording
6. All students and faculty in the course must complete and submit human subjects research training (CITI training) completion report

**Please note: if students or faculty wish to present their research in a formal capacity (outside of the classroom) they will need to complete an IRB application for research.

Please download this Class Waiver Form and submit to irb@savannahstate.edu along with accompanying documentation as applicable.

Members of SSU IRB

Chair, SSU Institutional Review Board

Dr. Lisa Yount
Associate Professor, Philosophy
Savannah State University
Payne Hall 127
3219 College Street
Savannah, GA 31404
Telephone (912) 358-3328
yountl@savannahstate.edu

Complete Membership of IRB

The university maintains a Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) with the OHRP, and the SSU IRB is registered with the OHRP.

SSU Assurance & IRB Registration with HHS Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP)
Filing	Registration #	Expiration Date
Federal Wide Assurance (FWA)	FWA00012460	2-16-2025
Institutional Review Board (IRB)	IRB00006270	2-16-2025