If you are doing research outside the United States (for example, on an off-campus program) you may need to obtain both Lawrence University and a foreign institution's human subjects research approval. 

Conducting Research Abroad

Some foreign countries have regulations that differ from the United States. It is important that you are familiar with them and know how they may impact your research plans. In addition, obtaining informed consent from subjects may be difficult in different language and cultural contexts.

The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) has complied a useful guide to human subjects regulations broken down by by country: International Compilation of Human Research Protections

For these reasons you should anticipate that IRB review and oversight will be required and give yourself adequate time for review and possible revision of your protocol.  

When to Submit for Approval

Plan to submit your protocol to the Lawrence IRB no later than the second week of the term before you anticipate starting your international research project. 

For summer and Fall term research your protocol should be submitted no later than the second week of the preceding Spring term. 

Complete Human Research Subjects Training

The CITI Program provides a course on "International and Multilingual Research" that you will need to complete as part of your required human subjects research training, but you may also find it useful as you develop your research protocol.

Register for Training