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Research ethics

CU Institutional Review Board.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is an administrative body established by Central University Statutes to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of Central University and other institutions with which it is affiliated.

Mandate

What the Board is charged to do.

  • Receive research proposals from Deans of Faculty/School and/or the Research and Conferences Committee and ensure that appropriate steps are taken to safeguard the privacy, confidentiality, rights, and privileges of research participants.
  • Assess the ethics of any research project and its methods, and require researchers to respond to queries.
  • Promote informed and voluntary participation by prospective research participants who are themselves capable of making such choices (or, if that is not possible, require informed permission given by a suitable proxy).
  • Maximise the safety of research participants.
  • Report annually to the Vice-Chancellor on its activities, and forward its recommendations on any research project submitted to the Research and Conference Committee of Central University.

Ethics principles

Guided by the Belmont Report.

Review by the IRB is guided by four basic principles espoused in the Belmont Report (HHS.gov).

Autonomy

Respect for persons. This is the derivative principle for informed consent.

Beneficence

Do good to research participants.

Non-maleficence

Avoid harm to research participants.

Distributive justice

Research participants should be fairly selected. The burden and benefits of research should be fair.

Submissions

Who must submit research protocols to the Central University IRB?

CU staff & affiliates

  • Professors, research fellows, postdoctoral fellows, research team members, and students who intend to conduct human research.
  • Faculty and students affiliated with Central University who intend to conduct research involving humans.

External researchers

  • Researchers affiliated with other non-governmental organisations or other institutions may also submit their protocols for review.
Prior approvals required. All protocols from CU staff require prior approval by the School/Faculty Board. Student protocols must be approved by their Department/Faculty/School before they are reviewed by the IRB.

Contact us

CU Institutional Review Board

Central University
P. O. Box 2305
Tema

Email: cuirb@central.edu.gh

Telephone

Mobile
(+233) 0533 980 310
Campus
+233 0303 318580
Campus
+233 0303 318588

Research catalogue