Playing It Safe With Research Risk

As a graduate student, you'll quickly learn that most research projects must undergo institutional review before you begin. Institutional approval is necessary to conduct research with human subjects, animals, dangerous biological materials, and radioactive materials. A different institutional committee oversees each area and each has its own review criteria and process. This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education offers a rundown of the various research-safety panels, describing what each does. Be alert to situations where you'll need seek institutional approval before beginning your research; plan ahead and don't get caught in institutional red tape.
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