Southern Utah University Institutional Review Board
REVIEWER CHECKLIST
SUU IRB Documentation of Exempt Status
Reviewer Reviewer's College Date
Reviewer's E-mail
Title of Proposed Research
Principle Investigator (PI) PI's E-mail
PI's College
One of the following must apply to qualify for exempt status, the proposed research must be:
(1) Research conducted in established or commonly accepted educational settings, involving
normal educational practices, such as (i) research on regular and special education instructional
strategies, or (ii) research on the effectiveness of or the comparison among instructional
techniques, curricula, or classroom management methods.
YES NO
(2) Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude,
achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures or observation of public behavior,
unless: (i) information obtained is recorded in such a manner that human subjects can be
identified, directly or through identifiers linked to the subjects; and (ii) any disclosure of the
human subjects' responses outside the research could reasonably place the subjects at risk of
criminal or civil liability or be damaging to the subjects' financial standing, employability, or
reputation.
YES NO
(3) Research involving the use of educational tests (cognitive, diagnostic, aptitude,
achievement), survey procedures, interview procedures, or observation of public behavior that is
not exempt under paragraph (b)(2) of this section, if:
(i) the human subjects are elected or appointed public officials or candidates for public office; or
(ii) federal statute(s) require(s) without exception that the confidentiality of the personally
identifiable information will be maintained throughout the research and thereafter.
YES NO
(4) Research involving the collection or study of existing data, documents, records, pathological
specimens, or diagnostic specimens, if these sources are publicly available or if the information
is recorded by the investigator in such a manner that subjects cannot be identified, directly or
through identifiers linked to the subjects.
YES NO
(5) Research and demonstration projects which are conducted by or subject to the approval of
department or agency heads, and which are designed to study, evaluate, or otherwise examine:
(i) Public benefit or service programs; (ii) procedures for obtaining benefits or services under
those programs; (iii) possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or procedures; or (iv)
possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those
programs.
YES NO
(6) Taste and food quality evaluation and consumer acceptance studies, (i) if wholesome foods
without additives are consumed or (ii) if a food is consumed that contains a food ingredient at or
below the level and for a use found to be safe, or agricultural chemical or environmental
contaminant at or below the level found to be safe, by the Food and Drug Administration or
approved by the Environmental Protection Agency or the Food Safety and Inspection Service of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
YES NO
(7) Research required by students in a course, for completion of the course
requirements, where only non-sensitive information is collected from participants, or all
foreseeable risk are minimized or eliminated.
YES NO
(8) Research for Internal Agency Use: Research done by or at the request of an
internal agency for their own use, and which is not intended to contribute to
generalizable knowledge (i.e. knowledge shared by professionals in a given field
which is designed to contribute to that field).
YES NO
To qualify for exempt status, the proposed research must meet all of the criteria below:
No intent to publish/present off campus
Participants belong to the SUU community
Participants do not meet the definition for "vulnerable population" (see policy 6.20 for
definition)
Research involves no more than minimal risk (see policy 6.20 for definition)
Participation is anonymous or confidential
Except for research using naturalistic observation, participants have been adequately informed
on each of the following:
The nature of the research and what is asked of the participants
The extent of their involvement (e.g. time commitment)
The right to not participate or end participation at any time for any reason without penalty
If applicable, for survey/questionnaire/interview research, the right to skip any question
they do not wish to answer
Who to contact for further information or if participants have any concerns
Research proposals with exempt status are not subject to IRB audits, continuing review, or requests
for project closure, as long as no material changes are made to the protocol. Any changes to the
protocol requires the primary investigator to resubmit a revised application to the IRB for approval.
It is the principal investigator's responsibility (or supervisor if PI is a student) to insure that all
individuals involved in the research adhere to SUU's policies and procedures for research with
human participants, and to notify the IRB immediately should any risks to participants become
evident.
Exempt status expires one year from the date indicated on this form. Should the investigator wish
to continue the research beyond this date, a request for continuation form must be completed and
submitted to the IRB at least three weeks prior to the deadline.
Decision:
Accepted as submitted
Revisions required (comment below)
Do not accepted for the following reasons (comment below)
Comments:
Submit