Institutional Review Board (IRB)
All requests for research, including but not limited to surveying, focus groups, or
interviewing, conducted by or on behalf of an external group to the College which
would involve the students or employees of the College must be reviewed and approved
by the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Federal and state regulations are in place to protect the privacy and rights of human
subjects. It is the charge of the College's IRB to ensure that these are followed
and that research is conducted appropriately. The IRB process ensures the protection
of human subjects, researchers, and Allegany College of Maryland.
All researchers must complete a formal application for IRB review and approval.
The application can be found here. Completion of the application does not automatically grant approval by the IRB.
The College may request additional information from the researcher and reserves the
right to rescind approval with notice for cause. The IRB members meet on an as needed
based on the number and complexity of applications. Individuals may petition for an
expedited review if their research does not require a full IRB review.
Any questions or concerns may be directed to the Executive Director of Institutional
Effectiveness, Planning, and Research, Scott Harrah, at
sharrah@allegany.edu or 301-784-5207.