Thank you for your interest in conducting research at the University of Puget Sound. Outside research, conducted by anyone who is not a student of or employed by the university, is permitted after the following process is completed.

This process applies to you if:

  • Members of the student body are used as research subjects and/or
  • On-campus resources (physical or virtual) are used for recruitment or data collection

Examples include recruitment of research subjects through on-campus email distribution lists, flyers posted on campus, or the on-campus physical and/or occupational therapy clinics.

The following requirements must be satisfied before research is conducted by outside researchers:

  • You must have IRB approval from your home institution and provide documentation to the University of Puget Sound Institutional Review Board (PS-IRB).
  • You must follow the same procedures for submitting protocols as on-campus researchers (completion of cover sheets, articulating the risks and benefits of the study, recruitment methods, consent forms, etc.) For further information about the requirements for submission, visit the Institutional Review Board page.
  • When your protocol is submitted for PS-IRB review, you need to articulate why the Puget Sound campus community is needed and how the Puget Sound community members may benefit from the research.
  • You need to partner with an on-campus faculty or staff member. The on-campus member must be actively involved in the research. That person should be listed on the consent form and cover sheet.
  • You need to complete the CITI training modules associated with "Social and Behavioral Science Researchers."
    • If you do not already have a CITI account, navigate to citiprogram.org and create a new account:
      • Select "University of Puget Sound" as the home institution.
      • After entering the requested demographic information, select:
        • "Researchers" (Question 1).
        • "Social and Behavioral Science Researchers (includes Education and Business" (Question 2).
        • "No" (Question 3).
        • "No" (Question 4).
      • Complete the nine associated modules and submit your certificate of completion with your protocol.
    • If you already have a CITI account, but have not completed the training modules associated with "Social and Behavioral Science Researchers," please:
      • Select "Add a course" from "My Learner Tools".
      • Input the information listed above for Questions 1-4.
      • Complete the nine associated modules and submit your certificate of completion with your protocol.
    • If you already have a CITI account and have completed the training modules associated with "Social and Behavioral Science Researchers" simply submit your certificate of completion with your protocol.

You may direct questions about this process to the current chair of the PS-IRB, Tim Beyer (tbeyer@pugetsound.edu).