approval (IRB/ethics) approval (IRB/ethics)
Official decision by an ethics committee to allow a research study involving human participants to begin.
Example of approval (IRB/ethics) in a sentence
An ethics committee (EC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews a research study to check that participants will be protected and that there is a balance between the risks and benefits before granting approval.
More Info
Research studies that enroll participants are reviewed by an Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board before approval is granted.
The IRB also reviews most ongoing research studies at least every year to ensure participants are protected and that the protocol has not changed.
Ethics approval is one of many different kinds of clinical research approvals.
Other info to think about when joining a study
You may see the word “approval” or “approved” used to describe that a research study went through a review process before being allowed to start.
If you have any questions about the approval process or would like to have the IRB’s contact information, you can ask the study team. Their information should be listed in the informed consent form or found online.
You can always contact the EC or IRB that is overseeing the research study with any questions or concerns.
