Policies and Guidelines
Revised standards for Human Subjects-Related Research Visits during COVID-19
Before conducting in-person research with participants, please read The Revised Standards for Human Subjects Research. In-person research may require additional review by the University COVID Safety Committee; this is separate from the IRB's review. Questions? Contact orp@psu.edu.
Learn more on COVID-19 and human subjects research here.
Researcher guidelines are outlined in the Investigator Manual and Standard Operating Procedures in the CATS IRB Library (requires Penn State access account).
In addition, the following policies and guidelines give context to various regulations that impact IRB approval.
IRB Guidelines
- IRB Guideline I – Parental Consent and Child Assent
- IRB Guideline II – International Research Involving Human Participants
- IRB Guideline V – Research Using Penn State Students as Participants
- IRB Guideline X – Guidelines for Computer- and Internet-Based Research Involving Human Participants
- GUIDANCE: Photographs, Video and Audio Recordings
- GUIDANCE: Chart Review
Penn State Policies
- AD22 – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- AD51 – Use of Outdoor Areas for Expressive Activities
- AD56 – Use of Group Communication Tools to Communicate University Business to Employees and Students
- RPG03 – Payments to Human Participants in Research
- RP03 – The Use of Human Participants in Research
- RP06 – Disclosure and Management of Significant Financial Interests
- RP07 – HIPAA and Research at Penn State
FERPA and HIPAA
Federal Policies
Codes of Federal Regulations
Office for Human Research Protections
National Institute of Health