You know the old saying, “Happy professor, happy student.” There are many ways to make your professors happy. One way is to prepare yourself for conducting research. Part of that is get the CITI certification required for everyone at UT who conducts reserach with human subjects. You can knock that out before classes start and your life gets even more stressful.
(Note: Master’s student in the sport management concentration are required to do complete a project, unless the do a thesis. If the project involves data collection on human subjects, such as a survey or interviews, it is very likely that you will have to have CITI cerfication.)
UTK Policy on Human Research Participant Protection
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) regulates all research activities involving human subjects on the UT Knoxville campus. The IRB is a committee appointed to ensure rights, safety, and welfare of human research subjects; ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws/regulations; and conduct ethical reviews of human research activities including initial, continuation, modification, unanticipated problems and alleged noncompliance. Its primary responsibility is to assure UT Knoxville researchers operate within the provisions of the Federalwide Assurance of Compliance filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).
All UTK research involving human participants must be reviewed following IRB procedures and approved prior to the initiation of research activity and contact with potential human participants. All applications for IRB approval must be entered into the Integrated Medial Research Informational System (iMedRIS). You can find helpful guides and instructions for navigating the iMedRIS application process here. For more information on iMedRIS, visit the Office of Research and Engagement’s resource page. The best place to start this process is with your advisor. Although certain research is exempt from review, these projects must be certified by the UTK-IRB. There are no exceptions to this policy.
All researchers involved in the study, including students, are required to successfully pass the CITI Human Subjects Research online course as mandatory training for all faculty and students working on UTK IRB/Human Subjects Research protocols.
KRSS Department Procedure
Prior to conducting research, students will enter all IRB applications in iMedRIS. You may not collect any data prior to receiving prior IRB approval. The student should develop the application in iMedRIS in consultation with the faculty advisor. Start this process early! Depending on the type of study and attention to detail, the full approval process, including revisions, can take several weeks and months. The application will be routed first to the student’s advisor; second to the Department Review Committee (DRC) Chair, Dr. Leslee Fisher; and third to the Associate Department Head, Dr. Steven Waller (as designee for the Department Head). Students will have to enter this routing order in iMedRIS. The application then goes to the IRB office for review. Only after you receive approval in writing from the University IRB may you begin your data collection with human participants. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in denial of approval to conduct research.