External Research Request Process
In 2021, the Cuyamaca College Institutional Effectiveness Council endorsed the creation of a local research and ethics review body and process (known as an institutional review board at most institutions) that would review requests for research, data, or data collection from external researchers and research bodies, graduate students, and GCCCD employees who are proposing to conduct research with Cuyamaca College students, faculty, and/or staff as part of their graduate or undergraduate studies.
Research and Ethics Review Committee
In 2022, the Cuyamaca Research and Ethics Review Committee was formed as an operational
subcommittee of the Institutional Effectiveness Council to review external (see definition
below) research project requests that involve Cuyamaca College students and/or employees
to ensure:
- risks have been considered and minimized;
- the potential for benefit has been identified and maximized;
- all human participants only volunteer to participate in research after being provided with legally effective informed consent;
- any research is conducted in an ethical manner and in compliance with established standards;
- all research participants are treated ethically;
- research participants’ private information is handled confidentially;
- each research study complies with ethical standards;
- approved research studies align with the Cuyamaca College mission statement;
- be an active resource to the campus regarding research ethics; and
- guide the research ethics review process for the College.
How to Submit a Request
To submit a request for external research (as described above), please submit an External Research Request Form as well as appropriate attachments, such as:
- Host Institution IRB Approval Letter
- Informed Consent Form(s) - for a template/example, please click here
- Survey/questionnaire or focus group/interview protocol
- Recruitment email text, flyers, or other materials
- For attachment file naming conventions, please click here
Requests submitted by the 1st of each month receive priority review and will receive a reply from the Research and Ethics Review Committee by the 15th of the month in which the request is submitted.
For questions about the External Research Request review process, please contact Bri Hays, Senior Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Success, and Equity at brianna.hays@gcccd.edu.
What Qualifies as an External Research Request?
External research requests are defined as those that:
- Are initiated by an internal or external requester who is conducting research as part of an undergraduate or graduate program at another college or university, such as a thesis or dissertation project
- Are conducted by a research lab at Cuyamaca College and involve Cuyamaca College students and/or employees
- Will be published and/or presented at a conference
- Are not part of the College’s ongoing internal research and project/program evaluation program/functions (for internal research requests for the purpose of assessing and improving campus programs and services, please submit a regular Research Request Form)
- Are part of external organization’s research agenda and include Cuyamaca College students and/or employees
The Committee meets monthly and asynchronously as needed to review and act upon external research requests. The Committee summarizes and reports reviews/decisions for President’s Cabinet on a monthly basis. The Research and Ethics Review Committee also works in conjunction with district external research review and approval processes as appropriate.
Questions?
For questions or concerns, please contact Research and Ethics Review Committee Chair, Bri Hays at brianna.hays@gcccd.edu.