Institutional Review Board

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Application

To conduct research on Bakersfield College (BC) students and/or employees for external organizations or institutions, please complete the BC Institutional Review Board Application form.

At the end of the form, you will be asked to submit your proposal documents to research@bakersfieldcollege.edu or in-person at the Administrative Services building, Room 151. Your proposal and documents will be sent to the IRB for review. Institutional Effectiveness will contact you with next steps.

Institutional Effectiveness strives to provide you with a response to your request within 5 business days. In general, research requests are processed within 4-6 weeks. IRB applications may take longer to complete depending on IRB review and the scope of your request. Timelines may also vary based on a variety of factors, like workloads, other requests, etc.

Human Subjects Research Policies & Procedures – prepared by the Bakersfield College Institutional Review Board and approved by College Council on April 3, 2025. To request a copy, email research@bakersfieldcollege.edu.

About the IRB

Bakersfield College (BC) assures a favorable climate for the conduct of academic-oriented inquiry, and protects the interests of the College, its affiliates, the students, and employees. BC encourages and supports students, faculty, and staff as they pursue scholarly work and research.

The pursuit of scholarly work and research will often involve the use of data and/or human subjects for data collection analysis. Guided by the principles of “The Belmont Report” or Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research, it is the policy of BC to ensure the rights, well-being, and personal privacy of human subjects; that risks have been considered and minimized; that the potential for benefit has been identified and maximized; that all human participants only volunteer to participate in research after being provided with effective informed consent; and that any research is conducted ethically, and in compliance with established standards.

Bakersfield College (IORG 0009982) Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews and approves all applicable research proposals to ensure the rights, well-being, and personal privacy of human subjects used in research studies.

BC IRB files a Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) with the Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP) to ensure that Bakersfield College complies with the federal guidelines as outlined by DHHS. Research approved by the BC IRB (BC IRB#1-Campus Research: IRB00011857) complies with the Common Rule, 45 CFR 46.111 and 21 CFR 56.111.

Campus-wide research, surveys, or questionnaires involving data or human subjects shall be consistent with the college's mission, vision, values, and strategic directions.

Members