Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The IRB is the main office for review and approval of research in GUST. IRB is comprised of several sub-IRB Committees, each of which represent a research discipline in each of the colleges in the GUST. Each IRB Committee is a specifically constituted as an administrative review board established to protect the rights and welfare of human participants recruited to participate in research. The jurisdiction of the IRB relates to the institution with which it is affiliated. Due to the large volume and diverse nature of research conducted at the GUST, multiple IRB Committees have been established to provide review and oversight for all research involving human participants. Each IRB Committee's members are appointed by the RDO Director and the Dean of each of the colleges in GUST. The committee will recommend and implement policies and regulations for the protection of human participants in research. Selection of each IRB members is based on a review of specific requirements, as follows.

  1. Passing Education Training for researchers in the GUST. 

  2. A minimum rank of associate professor. 

Standards

GUST supports high standards for research in order to maintain excellence in scholarly achievements and contributions worldwide. The RDO standards are stated below:

►  Research will be promoted that focuses on activities in targeted areas in which there are loci of strength in academic programs and among researchers, while continuing to support excellent academic and research programs across their portfolios. Each activity has specific goals that have been developed to meet these expectations.

►   IRB continues through research activities to review, investigate, and approve research to assure and defend human research participation.

►   SRAB, as a council of research program sponsors, will continue to expand its participation and interaction with researchers in GUST academic colleges.

►  Sponsorships for research will continue to be created in order to increase the number of research sponsorship agreements with selected organizations and/or companies nationally and internationally.

►  Emphasis will be placed on competing for and winning research grants from research funding agencies, including Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), and National Ministries, Departments, Centers, Organizations, and Companies in Kuwait.

►  An intellectual climate will be created that nurtures scholars in order to ensure that new and creative collaborations of research emerge in the GUST.

►  In a partnership with other universities, consideration will be given to the clustering of exchange research strategies in order to bring to the GUST strong teams of researchers for the purpose of establishing preeminence in selected fields of study.

GUST IRB Guidelines for IRB Submissions

Research Topic (or Title)

A title should be provided that would be descriptive of the main focus and direction of the research project.

 

Literature Review (Background)

  • What is already known or unknown about the study you proposing to undertake. This gives a foundation leading to the aims or objectives of your study. Research studies and full citations.

  • Next, you should indicate the aim(s) or objective(s) or your study.

  • What do you want to know, investigate or examine? Provide your aims in a logically sequential manner.

 

Methodology

This section should indicate how you hope to accomplish your aims or objectives

  • Indicate the sample or participants you are going to use. Be specific in describing the sample.

  • You should also indicate how the participants will be recruited.

  • Describe in detail, any, and all special equipments, materials, software or survey questionnaires that you intend to use. If there is special expertise needed to administer any of the instruments or materials you will use, detail how that expertise will be acquired.

  • Also, if the project involves humans, animals or has any ethical safety considerations, describe how informed consent will be obtained by attaching a sample of the informed consent form you will use.

  • Is the research in collaboration with any other organization/institution or funded by any? Please give details.

 

Results (Expected Outcomes)

  • What are the expected/anticipated outcomes?

  • How will the data obtained from the study be analyzed?

  • What will be the contributions, if any?

 

Documents to be uploaded for IRB Approval (Through PMOS):

1.   Consent form (Also available on PMOS IRB case for download).

2.    Research Proposal (along with the contents mentioned above).

3.    Survey.

Applying for IRB Consent:

1.    Prepare all documents mentioned above.

2.    Open a new case in PMOS under Graduate Studies & Research.

3.    Follow the process to complete your submission.