1. When should I close my human subjects research study?

Closing a research study notifies the Institutional Review Board (IRB) that the research team has completed all human subjects research activities and no longer requires IRB approval. You should close a study when the project no longer involves collecting or working with identifiable data, or coded or linked data connected to identifiable private information. 

Take care not to close the project too soon, as a project cannot be reopened once it has been closed. 

You can review a list of considerations before closing a study on the Human Subjects Office (HSO) project close pages. Record retention requirements and additional information are also available in the UI IRB Standard Operating Procedures and Researcher Guide, Section II, Parts 22 and 23.

2. How do I close my human subjects research study?

Submit a project close form in HawkIRB. Step-by-step instructions on how to submit this form are available on the HSO project close pages.