Who may submit
- Studies conducted under IFI Research
- Projects affiliated with the Idea Fields Institute
- Independent researchers, by arrangement with the Board
An independent ethics review board
IFI Responsibility Board
Serious ethical oversight for human-subjects research — rigorous, plain-spoken, and available to researchers working outside large institutions.
01Mission
Serious ethical oversight should be available to any researcher doing serious work — not only to those inside universities and hospitals.
The IFI Responsibility Board is the independent review body of the Idea Fields Institute. It reviews human-subjects research conducted under IFI Research and, by arrangement, work by affiliated and independent researchers who want genuine review rather than a rubber stamp.
The Board's standard is simple to state and demanding to meet: research should leave its participants no worse off, treat them as ends rather than instruments, and be designed well enough that their time is not wasted on a study that cannot answer its own question.
02Principles
The basis of review.
Review follows the three principles articulated in the Belmont Report, with a fourth the Board adds on its own behalf.
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Respect for persons
Participation is informed, voluntary, and revocable. Consent is written to be understood, not merely signed, and people with diminished autonomy receive additional protection rather than less.
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Beneficence
Risks are identified honestly, minimized by design, and justified by the value of what the study can actually learn. Vague benefit does not excuse concrete burden.
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Justice
The people who carry the burdens of research should stand to share in its benefits. Selection of participants is fair, and convenience is never a reason to study the vulnerable.
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Candor
Reviews, determinations, and the reasoning behind them are recorded plainly. Researchers are told why, not just whether — and the Board holds itself to the standards it applies.
03Scope
What the Board reviews.
Any systematic investigation involving people, their behavior, or their identifiable data falls within scope.
What requires review
- Interviews, surveys, and observational studies
- Behavioral and psychological experiments
- Studies of human interaction with technical systems, including AI
- Secondary use of identifiable human data
Levels of determination
- Exempt — minimal-risk work meeting defined criteria
- Expedited — minimal-risk work reviewed by a designated reviewer
- Full review — everything else, considered by the convened Board
The Board is an independent body and does not claim federal registration or jurisdiction it does not hold. Where a study requires review by a registered IRB — for regulatory, funding, or publication reasons — the Board will say so and help the researcher find the right venue.
04Process
From protocol to determination.
Review is a conversation with a record, not a gate with a queue. Most exchanges happen in writing; the steps are the same for every study.
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Inquiry
A short note describing the study idea, the people involved, and the rough timeline. The Board responds with whether review is required and at what level.
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Protocol submission
The full protocol: research questions, methods, recruitment plan, consent materials, instruments, and a data handling plan covering collection, storage, retention, and disposal.
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Review
The Board reads the protocol against its four principles and returns written questions or requested revisions. Most protocols go through at least one round of revision; that is the process working, not failing.
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Determination
A written determination — approved, approved with conditions, or not approved — with the reasoning on the record. Approval covers the protocol as submitted, not the general idea.
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Ongoing oversight
Amendments are reviewed before changes take effect. Adverse events and unanticipated problems are reported promptly, and longer studies check in on a schedule set at approval.
05Submit
Begin with the inquiry, not the paperwork.
Write to the Board with a paragraph or two about what you want to study, who would be involved, and when you hope to begin. You will get a plain answer about whether review is needed, at what level, and what to prepare — before you invest in the full protocol.
06Contact