Frequently Asked Questions

Policies related to the OSPRS can be located on the university's policy website, under the policy management area RSCH (Research).

Forms related to OSPRS can be found on the university's online forms page, under the Sponsored Programs and Research Services section.

Select the following link to view the university's Institutional Profile.

Please email OSPRS@coastal.edu or visit the Contact Us page on our site for more information

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Services is located in the Coastal Science Center, Suite 160.

The operating hours of the OSPRS are Monday - Thursday 8AM-5PM and Friday 8AM-12:30PM.

The Coastal Carolina University Institutional Review Board (IRB) is an administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects who are recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the university.

A human subject is "a living individual about whom an investigator conducting research:

• Obtains information or biospecimens through intervention or interaction with the individual, and uses, studies or analyzes the information or biospecimens; or
• Obtains, uses, studies, analyzes or generates identifiable private information or identifiable bio specimens."

Research is defined as a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. A project requires IRB review if it includes both human subjects and research.

There are Exempt and Expedited and Full Board Reviews.  Most human subject research at CCU is reviewed as Exempt because it produces “minimal risk” to the participants. In this context, “minimal risk” means that the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater in and of themselves than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests. Please note that, under federal regulations, pregnant women, prisoners, individuals with disabilities and children are all considered special populations and require a Full Board review. The CCU IRB defines children as anyone less than 18 years of age.

No. IRB review or approval cannot be granted retroactively and human subject research conducted without prior IRB approval can never be used as the basis for any publication.