College Research Review Committee

The Estrella Mountain College Research Review Committee (CRRC) is part of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Maricopa Community College District, a federally mandated group that oversees the ethics of research involving human participants. (For a more comprehensive overview of the IRB and CRRC, please see the MCCCD Overview of the IRB.)

 At EMCC, the CRRC has the following roles:

• Advise the Vice President of Academic Affairs, who is the institutional authority to approve research.
• Oversee the review of exempt student research.
  • If you are a student doing research, you and your advisor may want to look at Oregon State University's Exempt Research Flowchart. to determine if your research qualifies as exempt.
• Provide guidance to researchers in complying with IRB standards for on-campus research related to the campus mission.
• Serve as a campus resource to ensure that approved research fulfills its ethical obligations.

If you are interested in doing research with human subjects, please follow the steps below.

Researchers with IRB Approval from Another Institution

If your study has already been approved by another IRB, then the MCCCD IRB may conduct an administrative review, a faster and simplified process.

The principle investigator must complete the Site Approval Form and submit it to to irb_office@domail.maricopa.edu to get approval from the colleges/sites. If site approval is granted, then the PI must attach all of the following documents in eProtocol, the online application system:

• Original IRB application
• Official IRB approval letter or email
• Completed Site Authorization Form
• Site authorization approval email
• Consent/assent form
• Recruitment materials (e.g., email messages, fliers)
• Instruments to be administered to the participants (e.g., questionnaires, interview questions)

Note: The PI must provide any additional documents or information requested by the reviewers.

1. Download and fill out this Site Approval Form.
   • Once it is filled out, attach a copy to an email to the Vice President of Academic Affairs at VPAA@estrellamountain.edu (and copy CRRC@estrellamountain.edu) requesting consideration.
   • The Vice President of Academic Affairs will review your project to determine if it appropriate for the institution (i.e., EMCC).
   • The person needs approval as noted above before submitting materials to the district IRB.

2. Obtain eProtocol Login Information

3. Request a login ID to access eProtocol from irb_office@domail.maricopa.edu. A login ID needs to be requested for PI and co-PI(s), if applicable. eProtocol will send users two confirmation emails, one with an ID and another with a password.

4. Submit the IRB Application in eProtocol

5. Start the application. Once you have made a selection in Study Location, then you will be asked whether your study has been approved by another Institutional Review Board. Please select Yes and then follow these steps:

6. Click on the Next button to go to the General Checklist section. Complete that section.

7. Click on the Previous button to go back to the Study Location section.

8. Click on the Attachment link provided.

9. Complete and Submit the Application Form.

For Students Wanting to Do Research at EMCC

• Ensure you have a faculty sponsor who will help guide your research and oversee the IRB process.
• Download the student checklist for completing IRB to get started.
• Get your ethics training certificate from the CITI Program.
  • If you don't have a CITI account, choose register.  (If you have a CITI account Login, just choose "Log In")
  • When you are ready to register, you will be asked to choose an Organization Affiliation. Choose "Maricopa County Community College District" and follow the remaining steps.
  • Choose the Social-Behavioral-Education (SBE) Researchers.  Complete only the 9 mandatory modules.  (Don't complete the supplemental modules)
  • Print and save your certificate when you complete the training.
• Use the sample IRB application for student research and the sample consent form to guide you as you write up your proposal.  Make sure to share your work with your faculty sponsor.
• Have your faculty sponsor submit your completed application  to Bill Farrar, the IRB co-chair in charge of student research.
  • Before submitting the IRB application to the co-chair make sure it is complete (see student checklist for completing the IRB for details). In particular,
    • Have the CITI ethics certificates of completion of training attached for all students and faculty involved in the research.
    • Make sure the complete consent form is attached.
    • Include all survey questions and materials that will be used in the study.
    • Have the signatures and contact information of all student and the faculty sponsor on the application form.
• Once your instructor submits the research to the IRB co-chair, the College Research Review Committee will review it.  This may take up to two weeks, so make sure to plan ahead. 
• Your faculty sponsor will be contacted by the CRRC if your study is approved, rejected or needs modifications.  Work with your faculty sponsor to make the required modifications.
• Once the modifications have been accepted by the committee, the research then goes to EMCC's Vice President of Academic Affairs for institutional approval. 
• If it is approved by the Vice President, your faculty advisor will be informed and can let you know.
  • The college Vice President may suggest additional modifications before the study can be approved.  These modifications may be major ones or small ones.  If for some unforeseen reason, the study can't be done at EMCC, your faculty sponsor will be informed.
• Once you have been approved to do research, continue to work with your faculty sponsor and you are on your way!

For Employees Wanting to Do Research at EMCC

• Download and fill out this Site Institutional Approval Form.
  • Once it is filled out, attach a copy to an email to the Vice President of Academic Affairs at VPAA@estrellamountain.edu (and copy CRRC@estrellamountain.edu) requesting consideration.
  • The Vice President of Academic Affairs will review your project to determine if it appropriate for the institution (i.e., EMCC).
• If it is approved for the institution, it can move forward to be reviewed by the IRB. To have it reviewed:
  • Get your ethics training certificate from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program).
    • If you don't have a CITI account, choose register.  (If you have a CITI account Login, just choose "Log In")
    • When you are ready to register, you will be asked to choose an Organization Affiliation. Choose "Maricopa County Community College District" and follow the remaining steps.
    • Choose the Social-Behavioral-Education (SBE) Researchers.  Complete only the 9 mandatory modules.  (Don't complete the supplemental modules).
    • Print and save your certificate when you complete the training.
  • Then, go to the MCCCD IRB site and click the MCCCD Employees button.

If you have questions whether your project is human-subjects research, please contact either of the CRRC co-chairs:

• bill.farrar@estrellamountain.edu