Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The TWU Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) review research projects that involve human subjects to protect their rights and welfare. Therefore, it is the policy of TWU that all research conducted by any TWU faculty member, staff member, or student using human subjects must have prior approval from a TWU IRB before the research is initiated. Human subjects research at TWU is governed by TWU's Federalwide Assurance, Policy, and IRB Procedures (pdf). Please note that we are in the process of updating the IRB policy and procedures as necessary to reflect the changes resulting from the new Common Rule requirements and the implementation of a new online submission system, Cayuse.

Cayuse IRB and New Common Rule Requirements

The new federal Final Rule, referred to as the new Common Rule requirements, are in effect as of January 21, 2019. The primary changes resulting from this new guidance are changes in categories of review especially for exempt and expedited studies, modifications to consent requirements, and changes in continuing review requirements for expedited studies. Guidance regarding the new consent requirements is available on the website. 

In addition, the new online submission system, Cayuse, is now available for the submission of new IRB protocols. The website contains information about establishing a Cayuse account, logging into Cayuse, and initiating a new application.

Training workshops have been scheduled on all campuses and we strongly encourage all faculty and students conducting human subjects research to attend these hands-on workshops for training.