Human Subjects for Researchers
Faculty and graduate students who plan to use human subjects in their research and who plan to publish their findings must get approval for their research through proper University channels. What follows below is information to help you determine if your work might qualify for exemption (option 1 below) or if you need to use a longer form (options 2 and 3 below). Researchers may also wish to access the UWTC Human Subjects Pool.

The TC Human Subjects Review Committee (Chair: Jennifer Turns. Members: Beth Kolko, Dave Farkas, Mark Haselkorn, Tom Williams, Mark Zachry) reviews requests only by TC faculty and graduate students only for exemption from review by the University of Washington Human Subjects Division of Grants and Contract Services. This TC committee also determines policies for asking students in TC courses to participate as subjects in research studies.

If you receive approval for exemption from the the Technical Communication Human Subjects Review Committee (TC-HSRC), you must wait for final approval from the University of Washington Human Subjects Review Committee (UW-HSRC). This whole process takes a minimum of three-weeks.

If you receive approval for exemption from the the Technical Communication Human Subjects Review Committee (TC-HSRC), you must wait for final approval from the University of Washington Human Subjects Review Committee (UW-HSRC). This whole process takes a minimum of three-weeks.

Whatever option you need to follow, you MUST NOT BEGIN to contact subjects until you have approval from the UW Human Subjects Review Committee.

Procedures

Three application options are discussed below.

Option 1. Certification for Exemption, Form HS EX-1. If after reading page two of the UW HS EX-1 you decide that your research may be exempt, return to this page and follow the UWTC Instructions for Using Form HS EX-1.

You may qualify to ask for exemption if your research fits within one of the categories described on the second page of form HS EX-1. Many TC research studies have qualified for exemption under categories one (Educational Research Conducted in Educational Settings) and two (Survey/Interview/Observational Research).

Options 2 & 3. UW Human Subjects Review Committee Application, Form UW 13-11 with a request for expedited review or request for full review.

If you do not quality to use Option 1 above, then you must fill out UW 13-11 form, ask the department chair to sign it, and submit it directly to the UW Human Subjects Division. The form and further instructions are available on the UW Human Subjects Division website at http://www.washington.edu/research/hsd/forms_paper.php.