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Burning Questions – Institutional Review Board (IRB) 

  • What is the IRB? The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is an appointed committee to regulate all research activities involving human subjects on the UT Knoxville campus.  
  • Why does the IRB exist? The IRB exists to 1) ensure rights, safety, and welfare of human research subjects, 2) ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws/regulations, and 3) conduct ethical reviews of human research activities including initial, continuation, modification, unanticipated problems and alleged noncompliance. 
  • What research needs IRB approval? You will need approval if your research will be published (even as a thesis or dissertation). You may need approval if you are giving a presentation outside of a UT Knoxville classroom or other internal meeting using data collected at UTK.  
  • Where do I start the approval process? Reach out to OASI 4-1376, who will help you gather necessary info and facilitate the approval process. 
  • Where can I find more info? irb.utk.edu