HSRB Review Process

Philander Smith College is committed to the ethical treatment of all human participants in research conducted by its faculty, staff, and students.  All research involving human participants conducted by faculty, staff, or students at Philander Smith College must be reviewed and approved by the PSC Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB). The PSC HSRB operates according to the guidelines in the Code of Federal Regulations (45CFR46) and other state and institutional guidelines.

Human Subjects Research Review

For research that does not qualify for exempt status (see HSRB Policies and Procedures and "Is my research exempt from review?"), there are two reasons why you would need HSRB approval prior to data collection:

1. The research conducted with human participants involves more physical, mental, psychological, or social risk than people would experience on a daily basis. It doesn't matter the type of research – it could be based on interview, survey, or experimental methodologies. If the research asks about sexual or health history, or inquiries about any other socially-sensitive information, it must come through the Board. More detailed explanations of this kind of risk can be found in the PSC HSRB Policies and Procedures below.
    
2. The research conducted with human participants will be published or presented off campus. Please note that undergraduate research conferences have an exemption, unless they involve the level of risk described in #1.