Welcome!

Mission

The mission of the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John’s University (SJU) Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the dignity and rights of participants in research conducted either on or by members of the CSB and SJU communities.

What is Research?

The Federal Register (Volume 56, Number 117, Tuesday, June 18, 1991) defines research as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge” (p. 28013). The IRB Guidebook detailing all federal research review guidelines is found at <http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/irb/irb_guidebook.htm>

When must I submit an application and why?

The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University requires that all research activities involving human subjects comply with the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46).  According to this policy, research activities that intervene in people’s lives, observe human behavior, or use data obtained directly or indirectly from living individuals must be reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board to ensure that:

• Risks have been minimized and reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits;
• Informed consent will be obtained from subjects and appropriately documented; and
• The privacy and safety of subjects will be maintained.

The responsibility for identifying specific risks to human participants rests with the researcher based upon their knowledge of past research and standards of the academic discipline. If you are a CSB/SJU faculty member, administrator, staff member, or student, you must submit an application to the IRB and receive written approval before you can begin recruiting subjects.