Harvard College students considering a research project that includes interaction with living people and/or gathering and using information about living people must receive research ethics training and take part in the Undergraduate Research Training Program (URTP). The URTP is a comprehensive platform to create better prepared undergraduate researchers. The URTP is comprised of research ethics training sessions, a student-focused curriculum, and an online decision form that will assist students in determining whether their project requires IRB review.
The Harvard University Area (HUA) IRB office will offer training by Zoom during Spring 2021 at the dates below. The training sessions include information on what types of research require IRB review, best practices for conducting ethical research, an overview of human subject protections, and additional resources that may be helpful to students. Students may choose one of two ways to undertake training, as follows:
1. Human subjects training seminars for undergraduates will be offered on the following dates:
Date: March 29, 2021 (Monday)
Time: 3:30-5pm
Location: Zoom (link to follow)
Please sign up for the March 29th training.
Date: April 6, 2021 (Tuesday)
Time: 4-5:30pm
Location: Zoom (link to follow)
Please sign up for the April 6th training.
Date: April 14, 2021 (Wednesday)
Time: 4:30-6pm
Location: Zoom (link to follow)
Please sign up for the April 14th training.
Training attendees will NOT be required to additionally complete the online course offered by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). Attendance at the IRB-led training will be automatically recorded by the HUA IRB office as satisfying the training requirement. Visit the URTP website for more information.
2. If students DO NOT attend one of the Spring training sessions, they are required to complete CITI training via the HUA IRB website (See tab “Harvard Undergraduate Researcher.)
Students: It would be most beneficial for you to have met with your faculty supervisor to discuss your project prior to attending the IRB-led sessions, although it is not required. If you are well-prepared for the IRB sessions, the IRB staff may be able to answer specific questions about your protocol.
Please note that you must complete training before submitting the decision form mentioned above. Keep in mind that, if your work needs formal IRB review, review takes time, and research may not begin until it has been reviewed by the IRB. As such, you are encouraged to plan to complete training early in the development of your project.
The Harvard IRB office is available to answer questions that you may have. Feel free to contact the HUA IRB office at 617-496-2847 or cuhs@harvard.edu.