IRB Overview

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is the committee that reviews research involving human subjects to make sure it’s ethical and that participants are protected. At Virginia Tech, that’s the Human Research Protection Program.

Why it exists

Modern human-subjects protections trace back to abuses like the Tuskegee study (Brandt, 1978) and are codified in the Belmont Report’s three principles (National Commission, 1979). Click each to see what it means in practice:

▸Respect for persons

Treat people as autonomous agents: informed, voluntary consent — and extra protection for those with diminished autonomy.

▸Beneficence

Maximize benefit and minimize harm: a favorable risk–benefit balance and a duty not to injure participants.

▸Justice

Distribute the burdens and benefits of research fairly — don’t draw participants only from convenient or vulnerable groups while others reap the benefits.

What’s next

The next lesson walks you through deciding whether your project actually needs review, and at what level.