My course assignment involves conducting an interview or a survey. Is IRB Review required?

Course assignments that collect information about individuals are not normally considered to be research and would not normally require IRB review. In these instances, the project should be clearly represented to individuals as a course assignment, and not as an NDSU research project, to avoid confusion about the need for IRB review. Class instructors are responsible for the conduct of these course assignments.

Sometimes, a student will also want to utilize this data as a part of their thesis/dissertation, or for a publication. This would then constitute a contribution to generalizable knowledge, therefore research. In these cases, IRB review must be sought prior to contacting or collecting any data from participants; the IRB may not grant retroactive approval.