The Institutional Review Board Information Session: With the power to collect data from people comes great responsibility
On Friday, September 27, staff and faculty from Information Technology (IT) and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) met with students to relay information about steps to take before beginning research with human subjects.
Beginning the session, director of Instructional IT Services Trina Marmarelli went over data classification, pointing to the Data Classification and Handling Guidelines, which explain how Reed classifies the “risk level” of different kinds of personal data. The data risk level is determined by how much harm could be brought to a study participant if they were identified and connected to that data. She also informed students that study participants who are physically located in the EU or European Economic Area are given greater data privacy practices as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and that participants in mainland China are similarly covered by the higher standards of the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL). Data would need to be handled under the strictest relevant guidelines for data privacy and security.
Associate Director of Computer User Services Ben Salzberg ‘95 followed this by talking about best practices for data security for Reed researchers, including having a password on your computer, reducing riskiness of data by only collecting necessary information, talking with IT about encryption of sensitive data, and sharing files only with those who need to see the files (phrased as avoiding “oversharing” of data). The IT staff also promoted the resources available from Data @ Reed, which have staff who can help with everything related to data.
IRB Chair Sameer ud Dowla Khan stressed the core values of the Reed IRB: transparency, consent, privacy, and risk evaluation. They guided the group through reed.edu/irb, the IRB website where all forms, deadlines, and categories of review are listed. Students have to complete human research training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative to gain context about the field of Human Subjects Research before they begin researching with humans. IRB Administrative Coordinator Kayla Johnston said that she reviews submissions and sends feedback to every proposal, including any necessary edits before the proposal can be approved. The Institutional Review Board consists of staff and faculty from seven different departments–Anthropology, Economics, Linguistics, Math, Philosophy, Physics, and Psychology–and community members from the broader non-Reed community who make sure that Reed is utilizing ethical research practices. The IRB meets three times per semester to do a full review of research proposals that involve high risk to participants. Most Reed research projects are lower risk and can be approved on a more expedited schedule of only a few weeks for review.
The IT guidelines for data security and privacy are part of ensuring data is not shared improperly, and so that participants can give their informed consent about data that is collected via their participation. Khan stressed that this process is important, as it enables Reed to be allowed to do research while still respecting the privacy and consent of study participants. The IRB provides feedback to ensure that human participants are not harmed in the process of doing research.