Currently I'm affiliated with two universities: Nankai University in China (postdoc) and Monash University in Melbourne (adjunct). I'm attempting to apply for ethics approval for a research project involving personal data that people post online. I'm completely new to this.
Q: Do I need ethics approval from both universities?
It would be substantially easier for me to get approval from Monash, simply because the forms are in English and the people I'd need to discuss it with speak English.
What actually happened: I applied for ethics approval from Monash. They were fairly patient with me, being new to the process, and it took a bit of back and forth. Nankai University matched the conditions and dates by Monash, so I didn't have to bother with filling in paperwork in Chinese. (And the paper was subsequently published here.)
Answer
The purpose of IRB approval is for four things. The first is to make sure research is being done ethically and responsibly. Except when used in a circular definition, research does not need IRB approval to be conducted in an ethical manner. It definitely does not need multiple IRBs to approve it. The second is funders may not fund research that is not approved. They would only want approval from the institution where the funding is being given to. To publish research, it general needs IRB approval, but again, they do not care where it comes from. From both the publisher and funder point of view, IRB approval is their proof that the research was conducted in an ethical manner.
The final reason is so you are not liable. IRB approval, at least at the universities I am familiar with, means that the university takes on the liability as long as the protocol is approved. As place that may get sued,more any place that you will want help from if you get sued, will likely need to approve the research. Many IRBs have a light touch review for studies that have been reviewed by another university's IRB.
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