Exempt (Administrative) Review

The federal regulations governing human subjects research establish six categories of research that qualify as exempt from the regulations (note that research involving prisoners, fetuses, or pregnant women as subjects is never exempt). However, the University of Oregon has chosen to review research in these exempt categories using an administrative review process. Applications for research that qualify for exempt (administrative) review are held to the same standards (as enumarated in the federal regulations) as research that falls into the expedited or full review catgories.

All applications for research must be submitted on the same protocol application form. The Program Analyst, in conjunction with the OPHS Director and the IRB Chairs, determines the category of review for submitted projects. The Human Subject Regulations Decision Charts published by the federal Office for Human Research Protections may help you see if your project may qualify for exempt (administrative) review. In addition, you may contact your Program Analystr for assistance.

If a project is exempt, the Program Analyst will perform an administrative review of the project. The researcher may be required to submit revisions if the project does not meet the minimum requirements for approval. Although the exempt (administrative) review process is generally faster than the expedited or full review process, researchers should be aware that all new protocols generally take 2 to 4 weeks from date of submission to be approved.