Policies and Guides

Policies

In establishing its policies and procedures, the IRB is guided by the regulatory and ethical principles outlined in several important guiding documents:

Belmont Report
In 1978, the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research created "The Belmont Report."  The report encompasses three key principles for research involving human participants: respect for persons (autonomy), beneficence, and justice.

The Belmont Report was the first U.S. government publication to set rules for human subject research and is an essential reference work for IRB members.

HHS Policy for Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR Part 46)
In addition, the IRB is guided by the uniform set of regulations for decisions and recommendations established in "Subpart A: Basic HHS Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects."

Declaration of Helsinki
In 1964, the World Medical Association developed the Declaration of Helsinki as a set of ethical principles for the medical community regarding human experimentation. The Declaration, which is the basis for Good Clinical Practices used today, was mostly recently revised in 2008.

Nuremberg Code
The Nuremberg Code was developed at the end of World War II following the Nuremberg Trials. The Code encompasses many of the basic principles governing the ethical conduct of human subjects research today and states that "the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely essential."

Columbia College Chicago Policy to Protect Human Subjects & Animals
Amended Policy for Use of Animals at Columbia College Chicago
Our policy to protect the rights and interests of human and animal subjects of research at the College is available above.

Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

Categories of Exempt Research

Categories of Expedited Review Research  

Human Subject Regulations Decision Charts  

IRB Guidance for Class Projects

Frequently Used Terms

Definitions for Commonly Used Terms

Research Definition

Common Rule

De-identified Data