IRB stands for Institutional Review Board. An IRB is a committee designed to review research proposals.
In past decades, people and animals have been harmed or they have had their rights violated in various ways during psychological and medical research. To prevent the harmful effects of research, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Office for Human Research Protections (part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) established some guidelines and regulations to ensure public safety during scientific research.
As a result of these regulations, all institutions that are involved with research, places such as colleges and hospitals, must appoint a committee or board to oversee research practices. The purpose of an IRB committee is to protect the rights of people and animals who are subjects of research projects.
If you decide to conduct research that will involve human subjects or animals, and if you use any facility or advice from a public institution, you will be required to send a research proposal to a review board.
