Duties of Faculty Research Advisors

Faculty research advisors must instruct them in the ethical conduct of research and assist in the preparation of applications for human participants research approval. Advisors shall take an active role in ensuring that the conduct of the research meets the highest ethical standards.

Responsibilities

Faculty research advisors shall ensure their advisees do the following:

• minimize the risk to human participants,
• understand the elements of the informed consent process,
• develop a readable consent form,
• plan and accomplish appropriate recruitment strategies for identifying participants,
• establish and maintain strict guidelines for protecting anonymity and confidentiality, and
• conduct their research in accordance with these policies and procedures.

The faculty research advisor’s signature is required on the IRB application form. By signing, the research advisor is stating that these essential aspects of research have been addressed, and that the advisor is ultimately responsible for the protection of human subjects in student research.

The faculty research advisor’s signature affirms that:

• the study purposes, rationale, design, and methods are clearly stated and are academically sound;
• the protocol conforms to the norms, ethical standards, and methods of procedure of the scholarly discipline(s);
• the proposed study involves no known risks to human subjects other than those specified;
• the principal investigator and other researchers are qualified to conduct the proposed study;
• if applicable, the study facilities and resources are adequate for the safe conduct of the research; and
• the subject population, sampling procedures, and data to be collected are justified and adequate to meet study objectives