Faculty and Institutional Review Board Communication

The researcher-Institutional Review Board (IRB) relationship is a critical element in a faculty member's role in knowledge generation and dissemination. The nature of this relationship has considerable implications for data gathering in the research process, as well as in the mentoring and instruction of graduate and undergraduate students as researchers. This study identifies communicative elements in the researcher-IRB relationship and their impact on researchers' attitudes toward IRBs and compliance with IRB submission processes. Implications of the findings are discussed with respect to scholars' interactions with the regulatory agency, conducting research, and the education and training of students.