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Research

Accessing ISU Participants

External researchers seeking access to ISU students, staff, and/or faculty for participation in research must receive approval from the appropriate office prior to recruitment. The method of recruitment determines which office must approve the request.

Courtesy approvals as described below are only appropriate when ISU personnel are not "engaged in the research," meaning that the ISU personnel would not be consenting participants or have access to any identifiable data. Merely forwarding a recruitment email is not considered engaged in the research. If ISU personnel will be engaged in the research, please consult the Collaborative Research page for more information.

Recruitment via ISU Mass Email

  1. Email your request to IRB@IllinoisState.edu. Include who the target population is and whether any ISU personnel will be involved in the research. If so, indicate who from ISU is involved and describe their role. Only researchers who have received approval from their institution’s IRB will be considered. The institution must have a Federalwide Assurance from ORHP. Attach the approved IRB protocol (consent, survey, questionnaires, recruitment material, etc.) and approval letter from your institution.
  2. REC will conduct a review of the materials provided. If they are satisfied with the review, a "courtesy approval" can be issued. REC does not have the authority to grant access to the population, however. The courtesy approval will be forwarded to the keeper of the record described above. This may be the Registrar, a college dean, department chair, etc. If that individual agrees, they will communicate their approval to the requestor and fulfill the request. That individual will communicate with you regarding approval of access and fulfilling the request.

Recruitment via an ISU Department or Faculty Member

Requests should be emailed directly to that office/individual. ISU personnel receiving the request should consider the following:

  • Does the researcher have an approved IRB protocol from their institution to conduct this research?
  • Do the recruitment and consent materials address risks, benefits, confidentiality expectations, and contact information?
  • Is the research something the office/individual is comfortable forwarding (topic, time commitment, risks)?
  • Are there college/departmental policies regarding using listserves or email distribution of solicitations like this?
  • Are there any departmental or university privacy policies that cover the release of information, such as when a researcher asks for only a subset of students or colleagues?

ISU personnel should be careful not to endorse the research when forwarding the requests.