Do student research projects require institutional review and approval?
Any student research project with human participants conducted as part of an independent study course, undergraduate honors thesis, undergraduate directed research (e.g., SOURCE), or master’s thesis/project must be submitted for HSRC review and approval. Student research projects conducted as a recognized part of an undergraduate or graduate class assignment (e.g., research methods course) are frequently exempt from HSRC review. For further guidance, refer to the “CWU Guidelines for Student Research and Class Projects.
Yes. We have instituted an “expedited review” process to facilitate gaining approval in time to complete class projects within a typical quarter. If your research is for a class project, please select ‘Expedited review requested’ on the front page of the Clearance Form and state that this process is requested because the protocol is for a class project. We encourage you to submit your protocol as early as possible in the quarter to ensure a timely approval, as the committee may have questions or clarifications that need to be addressed before approval can be given.
