On the day that Henrietta Lacks died, researcher Dr. George Gey excitedly appeared on national television. He held a vial of her cells in his hand for the entire world to see and stated, "It is possible that, from a fundamental study such as this, we will be able to learn a way by which cancer can be completely wiped out." Once separated…

By having their research proposals reviewed and approved by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), art therapists meet important ethical principles regarding responsibility to research participants. This article provides an overview of the history of human subjects protections in the United States; underlying ethical principles and their application…

Institutional review boards (IRBs) are responsible for regulating and safeguarding research with human participants in academic institutions in the United States. The authors explore (a) the historical impetus for IRBs, (b) the ethical values and principles as core components of the review process, and (c) the American Counseling Association's…

Institutional researchers are responsible for the collection, organization, analysis, and maintenance of large amounts of personally identifiable data on students, faculty, and staff. Not only are institutional research (IR) offices required to report these data to state and federal agencies, they are also responsible for providing information to…

Written for students, educators, and researchers, "Methods in Educational Research" offers a refreshing introduction to the principles of educational research. Designed for the real world of educational research, the book's approach focuses on the types of problems likely to be encountered in professional experiences. Reflecting the…

This paper summarizes the rules and regulations under which educational researchers are expected to operate. The role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in ensuring protection of research participants from unethical procedures or investigators is discussed, as is the general exemption of specific types of educational research from the IRB…

In October 2001, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act to strengthen the ability of the U.S. government to combat terrorism. Unfortunately, some sections of the Act strike at core values and practices of libraries and archives, especially in the areas of record keeping, privacy, confidentiality, security, and access to the collections. This article…