Social & Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board

Welcome to the Social and Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board (SBS-IRB) at the University of Chicago. 

The Protection of Humans Subjects involved in Research

Research activities involving the use of human volunteers or human subjects data conducted by UChicago researchers and students must be reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure ethical research design and practice. See definition of "research" and "human subjects" under our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link.  The human subjects IRB protocol application can be created on the AURA-IRB electronic system, http://aura.uchicago.edu/ .

IRB Application Review Process:

IRB approval is required before human subjects research can begin (including recruitment). Studies which qualify for approval under expedited review or exempt status are reviewed by the IRB Chair or designee. Protocols determined to require review by the full IRB committee will be scheduled for the next scheduled IRB meeting. See our calendar link on this page.

Protection of Human Subjects Training Requirements:

Prior to submitting an IRB Application or adding a new personnel to the research team, the SBS-IRB requires researchers to complete an ethical and regulatory training course in the conduct of human-subjects protections research. SBS IRB will accept completed NIH training certifcates but prefer that researchers complete the CITI Training Modules. New researchers and students should include training certificates in research protocols or personnel  amendment applications.

Researchers can access the CITI Training Website at https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp?language=english . Register on the website, and then CITI administrators will email an ID and password when access has been granted.  Log in to the website with your CITI ID and password and complete the Basic Course under the University of Chicago Social and Behavioral Sciences.  Once modules are completed a completion certificate will be supplied. 

For NIH researchers, information and documentation of the Required Education in the Protection of Human Subject Research Participants can be found at http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php.

Using IRB-AURA online system for IRB Applications:

Our online comprehensive system for IRB applications is called AURA-IRB (Automated University Research Administration). Visit: http://aura.uchicago.edu

Additional Information for Student Researchers:

The SBS IRB office provides ethical and regulatory educational sessions for classrooms, student groups or research centers upon request. We also welcome individual appointments in our office or, if needed, in other offices on campus.Undergraduate Coursework Research Projects:

Students who plan to collect data from people STRICTLY FOR CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS OR COURSEWORK and NOT publish or present results outside of classroom or use data material for theses or dissertations, do not have to submit their projects to the IRB, as these classroom projects do not meet the definition of research.  Nonetheless, students should always use best ethical practices when collecting and using social and behavioral data.