Institutional Review Board

Loyola University Maryland is committed to ensuring that the rights and welfare of human participants in Loyola-sponsored research projects are protected. The University, the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and individuals conducting human subjects research have a shared obligation to uphold the ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report, codified in regulation, and outlined on these pages.

Loyola's federalwide assurance number issued by the Office of Human Research Protections is FWA00013527.

Any time an individual employed by or attending Loyola University Maryland desires to perform research involving human participants, that individual is required to submit the plan of data acquisition to the IRB. All human subjects research must be approved before research begins.

Common Rule Revisions - Effective January 22, 2019

The Common Rule was updated in 2017 for the first time since it was issued in 1991. The revisions were set to take effect in 2018, but were amended twice to delay the date that regulated entities must comply with the revised version of the rule. These revisions are commonly referred to as the "revised Common Rule," the "Final Rule," or the "2018 Common Rule." Some Final Rule changes were made in an effort to clarify how the pre-2018 Common Rule is applied. The most significant revisions are intended to “modernize, strengthen, and make more effective” the current system of oversight. The revisions propose to:

• Better protect human subjects
• Expedite research
• Increase trust in the research enterprise
• Reduce regulatory burden

The Common Rule revisions aim to better manage the many types of research (specifically including behavioral and social science research) that are being conducted today, as opposed to the research conducted in 1991. One of the Final Rule’s main purposes is to facilitate the conduct of minimal risk research. It also recognizes the evolving technologies used today which have changed the scale and nature of information collected in modern research activities. Large databases, bio-specimen repositories, electronic health records, and clinical research networks have shifted research priorities. Please use updated forms and new exempt categories as found on this site. For more details on the specific revisions, please go to Common Rule Revisions. 

Contact

For questions concerning human subjects research, please contact: irb@loyola.edu or (410) 617-2188