Human Subjects Policy

The complete policy and guidelines are available on the College Policies site.

All research done by Purchase College faculty, students, and staff involving human or animal subjects must be evaluated for its compliance with accepted ethical principles. The human subjects policy outlines the guidelines and procedure for research involving human subjects only; those planning research using animals are referred to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for the relevant guidelines and procedures.

Research involving human subjects must be evaluated for:

1. potential harm to subjects that may result from their participation
2. potential benefits of the research for the subject and the community as a whole
3. procedures used to ensure the informed and voluntary participation of research subjects
4. procedures used to ensure the confidentiality of research subjects
5. procedures for aftercare of research subjects when there is some potential for harm to participants resulting from their participation in the research.

The course instructor or faculty sponsor must approve research done by students for a course, independent study, or senior project before data collection begins. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to determine whether the proposed research meets the criteria for research exempt from review by the Human Subjects Committee (HSC) or is subject to review by the committee. Criteria for research that is exempt from review are described in the complete policy available on the College Policies site. In the case of research conducted by faculty or staff, the chair of the HSC (or an experienced reviewer designated by the committee chair) must make this determination. Research that is not exempt from review must be approved by the Human Subjects Committee before data collection begins.

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