For a project or study to be considered Human Subjects Research, it must meet two criteria:

1. It must meet the definition of research, which is a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.
2. It must include human subjects, which are living people about whom an investigator conducting research either a) obtains information or biospecimens through intervention or interaction with the individual and uses, studies, or analyzes the information or biospecimens; or b) obtains, uses, studies, analyzes, or generates identifiable private information or biospecimens.Please note that “interactions” do not have to be in-person to qualify as being interactions. Emails, online surveys, and interviews over telephone or videoconferencing software, all qualify as “interactions” for this definition of a human subject

Projects that meet these two criteria are considered human subjects research (HSR) and must be submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). HSR projects may not begin until they have been reviewed and approved by the IRB.