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External Research Request / IRB

Overview

Rio Hondo College values research and inquiry that advance understanding of student success. On occasion, Rio Hondo College (RHC) receives requests from individuals wishing to conduct research involving RHC students and/or employees. In order to ensure that student and employee rights are protected and that the proposed research aligns with the mission, vision, and values of the College, the following guidelines were developed to assist those individuals wishing to conduct external research projects.

The guidelines apply to all external research projects involving RHC whether the requestor is a Rio Hondo College employee, student, or person external to the college. An external research project is defined as any research project or study which is outside of the normal day-to-day operations of the college. Examples of day-to-day operations include program review and assessment of student learning outcomes. A typical example of an external research project is one conducted by a masters or doctoral student who wishes to ask RHC students or employees to participate in a study.

Review Timeline

RHC will open the application window during the months of January, May, and September. For applications submitted during these months, RHC will respond within 45 days. These are the three times a year when RHC guarantees review within the specified time frame. Otherwise, RHC will reply within 90 days.

Approval Guidelines

The following guidelines are applied to all external research requests.

Prior to Research

      • External Research Review Committee approval is required before any research begins.
      • All requests must go through the submission process, see Approval Process below.

College Resources

      • As a matter of general practice, the College will not provide facilities of any type for external research projects.
      • Unless the College deems a project to be educationally valuable and/or a natural extension of the college’s daily operations, the College will not release data sets or research products that are not publicly available to be used for secondary data analysis purposes.
      • Unless the College deems a project to be educationally valuable and/or a natural part of course content, class time generally will not be approved for external projects. If class time is deemed educationally valuable or a natural part of course content, then the faculty members’ permission and sponsorship/support from the immediate manager and Vice President must be obtained prior to submitting the project for approval at Rio Hondo College.
      • The College will not grant permission to use the college email server, nor will it provide any contact information or lists of students or employees to those wishing to conduct external research projects.

Research Participants

      • Participation in any external research project must be voluntary and all participants need to be informed regarding the purpose of the research, the scope of their involvement, and any expected risks or benefits associated with participation.

Approval Conditions

      • As a condition of approval, Rio Hondo College students and/or employees will not be identified when findings are published, nor will the name of the College be identified in any publication, presentation, or other products related to the study.
      • As a condition of approval, a copy of all research findings needs to be submitted to the Institutional Effectiveness office at the completion of the study.

Approval Process

Note that these steps are required for anyone – employees, students or external person – who wishes to initiate a research project at Rio Hondo College.

Part 1. Secure Approval from Rio Hondo College Sponsor

Prior to beginning the external research request process, those wishing to do research at Rio Hondo College will need to:

      • Secure a sponsor who is employed at RHC. The internal sponsor should be the manager in charge of the impacted unit.
      • Secure a written letter of support from the appropriate vice president, who affirms that the project (1) can benefit the College and (2) does not put the College at risk.
      • RHC faculty or classified staff members who are contacted to serve as internal sponsors should refer the requestor to the appropriate manager and relevant vice president.
      • Letters of support from RHC are not approvals to conduct research at RHC. They only indicate that the College is supportive of the project in concept.

Part 2. Complete External Research Request Form

      • Complete the request form with the required information. Completing the form will generate an email with a link to provide the required documentation.

Part 3. Submit Required Documentation

Use the emailed link to upload the following required documentation:

      • Supplemental Questions for External Research Request (Click here to view)
      • Written Letter of Support from appropriate Rio Hondo College Vice President
      • IRB Approval from requestor’s educational institution
      • IRB Approved Materials which may, depending on the project, include:
      • Informed Consent(s)
      • Information Letter(s)
      • Screening Form(s)
      • Interview Protocol(s)
      • Survey Instrument(s)

Part 4. Review and Decision by External Research Review Committee (ERRC)

The Rio Hondo External Research Review Committee (ERRC) will review the application, discuss changes/implications with the requestor, and make a final recommendation on the project. A letter will be sent to the potential researcher according to the Review Timeline listed above.

Contact Information

Persons with questions about external research projects are directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness at ExternalResearch@riohondo.edu.

Source: Portions of the approval guidelines and External Research Request Form were adapted from Citrus College, Mt. SAC, and LAUSD.