Student Research

At Marymount University, students are encouraged to engage their intellectual curiousity and become involved in research when possible.  This includes both faculty-driven and student-driven research projects. Being involved in research provides students with real world skills and competencies, while building their resumes and becoming more marketable for both employers and graduate programs. If a faculty member conducts research on a topic you find interesting, ask if they could use some assistance or, if you have an idea that might turn into a research project, seek out a faculty member you might be interested in working with to discuss it.

While this is an incredible opportunity, students–undergraduate and gradute–engaged in a research project must work under a faculty or staff mentor and must meet the federal and legal requirements outlined for Human Subject Research (HSR).

Marymount students undertaking research must work with a faculty or staff member to secure IRB approval before beginning the research. All student work involving systematic investigations with human subjects that is intended to be shared as research in a forum outside the instructional setting of Marymount University is designated as research and, therefore, requires IRB approval. This includes presentations at conferences, and print and online publications. Individually supervised student work that meets the federal definition of research, such as a research-based Honors thesis, master’s thesis, or doctoral project, is designated as research even when there is no intention to share the project beyond the University. IRB approval for research cannot be conferred retroactively.

Student PIs and Faculty Mentor Agreement

Students acting as project PIs must work alongside a faculty mentor to ensure proper training and study compliance. Faculty mentors, along with the student PI and the appropriate Dean or School Head, are required to submit a signed Faculty Mentor Agreement with the student’s IRB application. The current version of this Agreement can be downloaded below:

Faculty Mentor & Student PI Agreement

Classroom Projects

Course activities that involve students in systematic investigations with human subjects for instructional purposes only are designated as “classroom projects.” Classroom projects are distinguished from student research by the fact that they are not designed to develop or to contribute to generalizable knowledge (see Section 1.2). Classroom projects are not shared beyond the instructional setting of Marymount University. They may be shared in the classroom and the Marymount Student Research Conference, but classroom projects may not be presented at other conferences or published in print or online.

Other Student Research

Because students conduct research under the direction of a faculty mentor, they may only need to complete the short course designed for students. However, PIs supervising student researchers may require them to complete additional modules or an additional basic course beyond the IRB CITI requirements. Honors students whose theses require submitting Expedited/Full Applications need to complete the discipline-specific CITI course. This would be either the Social and Behavioral Sciences Course or the Science and Health Science Course.  Most Honors students submitting an Exempt application should only need the Student Course, but the IRB reserves the right to elevate the requirement based upon the research proposal submitted. This also applies for graduate students seeking IRB approval for Masters theses or Doctoral dissertation work, under the supervision of a faculty PI, usually their thesis or dissertation chair.

The optional CITI modules provide additional education on specific types of research. The IRB requires the completion of optional modules in some cases (e.g., international research, research with minors). These requirements are explained in the Special Topics section of the IRB Manual (see Section 7.0).

Doctoral Student Led Research 

We recognize the importance of supporting doctoral students in developing their research skills as emerging researchers while also maintaining appropriate oversight and compliance of research standards and regulations. 

Doctoral students may be principal investigators on IRB protocols but must be supervised by a faculty mentor throughout the research process, including reviewing and signing the IRB application. As mentioned, a new requirement is the Student PI and Faculty Mentor Agreement Form. This formal agreement clearly outlines the responsibilities of both the student PI and their faculty mentor, establishing a framework for successful collaboration and ensuring both understand their respective roles in maintaining research compliance.  

It’s important to note that the PI role is tied to active student status at Marymount. Alumni cannot continue serving as Principal Investigator after graduation, so research teams should plan accordingly for closing research protocols or developing a research leadership transition plan as students complete their programs.