HomeGuidelines for the Establishment of the Institutional Review Board for Humanities and Social Science Research, Academia Sinica
Approved on March 8, 2012
Amended on December 18, 2012
Amended on September 25, 2015
Amended on December 18, 2012
Amended on September 25, 2015
- To properly regulate humanities and social science research involving human beings as research subjects, respect the participant’s dignity, protect their rights, plan, review, and audit ethical matters of relevant research to conform with international ethical principles, professional ethical rules, and national laws, Academia Sinica (AS) has established the “Guidelines for the Establishment of the Institutional Review Board for Humanities and Social Science Research” (IRB-HS).
- The responsibilities of the IRB-HS are as follows:
- Establishing the scope of humanities and social science research involving human beings as research subjects requiring approval by the IRB-HS.
- Reviewing the protection of participants’ rights and relevant ethical and legal matters.
- Establishing the content of research protocols and review guidelines of humanities and social science research involving human beings as research subjects.
- Reviewing and monitoring humanities and social science research involving human beings as research subjects and consider appeals of an IRB-HS determination.
- Organizing research ethics training.
- Coordinating matters with other IRBs.
- Other relevant matters.
- The organization of the IRB-HS is as follows:
- The IRB-HS consists of at least nine members, who are appointed by the President. IRB-HS members shall serve without pay, but may receive review fees and other necessary expenses in accordance with regulations.
- The IRB-HS consists of one Chairperson, one to two Vice-Chairpersons, and one Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who are recommended by the executive Vice President and appointed by the President.
- In addition to scholars in humanities and social science, at least one-fifth of the IRB-HS members shall be legal experts and other impartial members of society; at least two-fifths shall be individuals from outside AS; neither gender shall be less than one-third.
- The term of IRB-HS members is two years and can be renewed upon reappointment. The number of reappointments at any one time shall not exceed half of the total IRB-HS members.
- The obligations of IRB-HS members are as follows:
- The names, occupations, expertise, and affiliations of the committee members shall be disclosed.
- Members are required to sign Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Agreements.
- Members are required to comply with all matters stated by AS and by law.
- If a committee member displays any of the following behaviors, they may be dismissed:
- The member does not attend the review meeting three consecutive times during the term without justifiable reasons or is absent at more than one-third of the meetings that they are expected to attend.
- Cases for which the member is responsible have been postponed for review three times in total due to the fault of the member.
- The member seriously violates the principles of conflict of interest or confidentiality.
- The IRB-HS shall hold regular meetings and provisional meetings if necessary, and invite relevant entities, groups, experts or scholars if necessary. To achieve resolutions, the attendance of at least half of all members, and the agreements from more than half of the attending members are required
- The IRB-HS consists of an Executive Secretary to assist the Chairperson managing IRB-HS affairs. The Executive Secretary will be appointed by the IRB-HS Chairperson and then reported to the Executive Vice President for approval. The executive Secretary has a term of service for two years and may renew the term upon reappointment. The required staff members for IRB-HS affairs will be filled by the personnel of the Department of Academic Affairs and Instrument Service.
- These Guidelines and any amendment will be implemented with the approval of the President.
