If research, whether external or internal, involves human subjects or animals, the project director must submit an Institutional Review Board (IRB) request. He or she must obtain approval before doing the research. Some departments at ACU have approved departmental review boards. For those that do not, the University Institutional Review Board handles the IRB requests.

The Abilene Christian University IRB Policy clearly delineates the institution's policy.

• ACU Institutional Review Board Policy

The Guidelines for Forming a Departmental Review Board give instructions for setting up a departmental review board.

• Review Board

The researcher submits the Research Review Request Form to her or his departmental review board if it exists. Otherwise, the form goes to the Associate Provost for Research who forwards it to the members of the Institutional Review Board..

• Request Form 

Each reviewer submits the IRB Approval Form to the review board chair, who then informs the researcher of the board's decision.

• Approval Form

 Informed consent guidelines help researchers include all necessary elements in the consent form.

• Informed Consent Guidelines