Honors Project

Research Ethics

Human subjects

Undergraduate research projects that involve human subjects will need to get approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at URI. The IRB ensures that research is conducted ethically and that the rights of human subjects are respected. Human subject research does not just refer to medical experiments; behavioral and social science research is also considered human subject research. Examples include:

  • Surveys of URI undergraduates or other groups of individuals, including the use of online survey programs such as SurveyMonkey.
  • Oral histories.
  • Evaluation of educational programs.

Applications for review and approval of research involving human subjects require a faculty member who acts as the Principal Investigator of record and who assumes responsibility for the quality of the application for approval as well as the responsible and ethical conduct of the student’s research activities.

Details

For projects that may need IRB permission, please consult your faculty sponsor and Professor Heather Johnson. 

Animal Subjects

The URI Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is responsible for overseeing the provisions for the care and well-being of animals used for research and educational purposes at the University and serves the public by ensuring compliance with all legal and ethical standards regarding the use of vertebrate animals in research and teaching at URI.

Applications for review and approval of research involving human and vertebrate animal subjects require a faculty member to act as the Principal Investigator of record and assume responsibility for the quality of the application for approval as well as the responsible and ethical conduct of the student’s research activities. Safeguarding the rights and welfare of subjects involved in any research, development, or related activity is the responsibility of the University. In order to provide for the adequate discharge of this responsibility, it is the policy of the University that no research activity involving human or vertebrate animal subjects be undertaken until those activities have been reviewed and approved by the University IRB or IACUC.

For more information contact Gwen Currier, IACUC/IBC Specialist, 401.874.2526.