Research and Ethics Review Workgroup

The Research and Ethics Review Workgroup at Chabot College is responsible for examining proposals for research, data, or data collection submitted by external researchers, research organizations, graduate students, and Chabot employees who intend to carry out research involving Chabot College’s students, faculty, and/or staff. The workgroup's purpose is similar to an Institutional Review Board (IRB) at most other institutions.

The workgroup is tasked with reviewing research projects that involve Chabot College students and/or employees to ensure:

That the rights and welfare of human subjects are protected
That the risks of those participating have been considered and minimized;
That the potential for benefit has been identified and maximized;
That all human participants only volunteer to participate in research after being provided with legally effective informed consent;
That any research is conducted in an ethical manner and in compliance with established standards;
That all research participants are treated ethically;
That research participants’ private information is handled confidentially;
That each research study complies with ethical standards; and,
That approved research studies align with the Chabot College goals.

The Research and Ethics Review Workgroup will not evaluate the soundness or quality of proposed research, nor does approval from the workgroup indicate endorsement or sponsorship of the study.

Who Needs to Submit a Project for Review?

Research activities involving human participants that need to be submitted for review are defined as those in which any of the following conditions apply:

Is conducted by or under the direction of any employee or agent of Chabot College in connection with their institutional responsibilities
Is conducted by or under the direction of any employee or agent of Chabot College using any property or facilities of the institution
Involves the use of Chabot College or Chabot Las-Positas Community College District records or data
Uses subjects from Chabot College in their capacity as students, faculty, or staff in their respective roles
Uses non-public information to identify or contact human research participants or prospective participants through their connection to Chabot College
Will be conducted at any facility owned, operated, or managed by Chabot College
Collects any non-public information involving Chabot College students or employees that will result in a published article, master’s thesis, doctoral dissertation, poster session, abstract, or any other publication/presentation, or any dissemination of the collected data to the public whether in aggregate form or otherwise
Is sponsored by Chabot College

Exeptions to this policy include studies that are part of the College’s ongoing internal research and project/program evaluation program/functions (for internal research requests for the purpose of assessing and improving campus programs and services, please submit a research request to the ORPIE Team Research Request Form).

How to Submit a Project for Review?

To submit a research project for review, please submit an External Research Request Form as well as any appropriate attachements needed for review.

These can include, but are not limited to:

Host Institution IRB Approval Letter (indicating the degree of risk from the researcher's host institution)
Informed Consent Form(s)
Survey/questionnaire or focus group/interview protocol
Plan for recruitment of subjects (i.e. email text, flyers, or other materials)
An approximate timeline of research activities

For more information regarding The Research and Ethics Review Workgroup's policy, please see here.

Questions?

For questions or concerns, please contact the Research and Ethics Review Workgroup Chair, Brian Goo at bgoo@chabotcollege.edu