Do oral histories need to have IRB approval?
A decision whether oral history or other activities solely consisting of open-ended qualitative type interviews are subject to the policies and regulations outlined in an institution’s Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) and HHS regulations for the protection of human research subjects (45 CFR 46) is based on the prospective intent of the investigator and the definition of “research” in 45 CFR 46: “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” Specifically, for GSU researchers, the evaluation of such activities hinges upon whether the person is engaged in the creation of “generalizable knowledge” that is, whether the activity represents a systematic investigation in which the person engaged in such activities intends to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Oral history activities are designed to create a record of specific historical events and, as such, are not intended to contri
