IRBS AND SOCIAL WORK: A SURVEY OF PROGRAM DIRECTORS' KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES

Abstract

The philosophical basis for the federal human subject protection policy is congruent with the values of the social work profession. The pragmatics are more complicated. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes toward, knowledge about, and practices of institutional review boards (IRBs) across colleges and universities as reported by social work program directors. Differences were found in program directors' reports of the time required for the initial review of submissions, the types of research considered exempt institutionally, and respondents' knowledge of IRBs. These findings provide support for the Council on Social Work Education's recommendation for increased involvement of social work educators in IRBs and related policies.