The Shepherd University IRB operates during the academic year to consider all proposal applications requiring review. The IRB does not meet during the summer months (June-August), however, it will review proposals requiring expedited or exempt requests only.
Expedited reviews and exempt requests are completed on a rolling basis: there is no deadline for submission, and they are reviewed all 12 months of the year (though applications are reviewed more quickly during the academic year, when faculty reviewers are on contract time). Expedited reviews are typically completed in 2-7 weeks, depending on the level of complexity of the underlying project.
Proposals requiring a full review will not be reviewed until the IRB’s meeting at the start of the academic year (September). Therefore, any research proposal application requiring a full review that is submitted after the April submission deadline for the May meeting will be delayed until the beginning of the Fall semester.
The IRB meets monthly during the academic year (September through May). Those applications requiring a full review must have their completed application submitted to irb@shepherd.edu no later than ten days before the scheduled meeting (as indicated below):
2024-25 Shepherd University IRB Meeting Schedule
September 6, 2024 (full review submission deadline: August 26, 2024)
October 4, 2024 (full review submission deadline: September 23, 2024)
November 1, 2024 (full review submission deadline: October 21, 2024)
December 6, 2024 (full review submission deadline: November 18, 2024 – before Thanksgiving break)
January 3, 2025 (full review submission deadline: December 16, 2024 -before Winter break)
February 7, 2025 (full review submission deadline: January 27, 2025)
March 7, 2025 (full review submission deadline: February 24, 2025)
April 4, 2025 (full review submission deadline: March 24, 2025)
May 2, 2025 (full review submission deadline: April 21, 2025)