Encountering Your IRB 2.0: What Political Scientists Need to Know

PSC 492 Cover_PosterEncountering Your IRB 2.0: What Political Scientists Need to Know

Dvora Yanow and Peregrine Schwartz-Shea

This essay corrects and updates one that was originally published in Qualitative & Multi-Method Research and, in a condensed version, in three other APSA Organized Section newsletters. Our research into IRB policy has shown that many political scientists are not familiar with some of its key provisions. The intent of the essay is to increase awareness of the existing policy’s impact on political scientific research and, in particular, on graduate students and junior faculty. We remain concerned that at present, faculty are leaving discussions of research ethics to IRBs (and their counterparts worldwide), whereas these Boards largely focus on complying with the regulatory details of governmental policy. Even though this essay seeks to clarify the latter, we remain convinced that research ethics ought to be vigorously taken up within disciplinary and departmental conversations.

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PS: Political Science & Politics / Volume 49 / Issue 02 / April 2016, pp 277-286 / Copyright © American Political Science Association 2016