The Mission of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects at Chicago State University through a review of research involving human subjects. It is congruent with the University's mission of academic excellence, which encompasses teaching, research, service, and community development, including social justice, leadership, and entrepreneurship. The IRB chair, who is appointed by the President, is Dr. Melany Puglisi-Weening, and members are selected according to federal regulations. For more information about the IRB, please contact the CSU IRB Administrator, Dr. Warren V. Sherman, at irb@csu.edu or (773) 995-2322. 

The IRB requires all investigators and personnel (including students) on research projects involving human subjects to complete online training provided by the CITI Consortium at www.citiprogram.org. The specific courses are Social and Behavioral-Basic or Biomedical Basic. No other Human Subjects training will be accepted. For more information, refer to.

Faculty with research protocols involving the use of human embryonic stem cells (hES) should contact Nadeem Fazal, MD., Ph.D., the chair of the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) Committee.

Chicago State University complies with all the requirements of the Public Health Service (PHS) policies on the humane care and use of laboratory animals. It is regulated by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) of the National Institutes of Health. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees the University's animal programs, facilities, and procedures. All protocols describing the use of animals in research, teaching, and/or display must be submitted in advance and approved by this IUCAC. The CSU IUCAC is appointed in accordance with the PHS Policy IV.A.3.a,  and is qualified through the experience and expertise of its members to oversee the institution's animal care and use program and facilities. It consists of at least five members, and its membership meets the composition requirements set forth in the PHS Policy at IV.A.3.b.  The President appoints members of the IACUC and assure that animal use is justified by benefits and minimize animal pain or suffering. For more information about the IACUC, please contact the IACUC Chair, Dr. Mark Erhart, at merhart@csu.edu or call (773) 995-2432.                                                                                                                                                 

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is committed to the safe transportation, storage, and usage of biological materials. For more information about the IBC, please contact the IBC CO-Chairs Dr Molly McDonough or Dr. Andrew Maselli.

The IBC has a set of forms that investigators complete and submit prior to review. In addition, investigators are required to complete suitable training. The Biosafety Training courses on the website for the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) are suitable to satisfy this requirement, and a copy  the Completion Certificate generated by the course should be attached at the end of any research protocol submitted to the IBC.

Research involving radioactive isotopes, embryonic stem cells, or chemical hazards are outside  the purview of the CSU-IBC, and questions about these should be referred to the CSU Research Integrity Officer (RIO)

Chicago State University's responsibility to protect the national security and economic interests of the United States is balanced against its commitment to advancing knowledge through open research that is freely shared with the public. CSU achieves this by establishing mechanisms that comply with all U.S. export control laws and regulations.

Although research generally conducted on campus is not subject to export restrictions, it is important for the CSU community to be aware that these activities may potentially become controlled.

In this context, "exports" refer to shipments of tangible commodities and software to recipients outside the United States and to disclosures to foreign persons wherever located, including faculty, staff, and students in the US. The term "export controls" refers to the federal laws and regulations that deal with the distribution of strategically important technology and information to foreign persons in the US and abroad.

All questions concerning export controls and the need for export control license applications should be coordinated through the Office of Grants and Research Administration  and the Office of Legal Affairs. 

Chicago State University is committed to the basic values of openness, academic and scholarly integrity, and  safe and ethical research. Investigators applying to, or funded by federal agencies agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and private sponsors are required to complete the NIH Financial Conflict of Interest COI Tutorial. Upon successful completion of this tutorial, print and save the Certificate of Completion and append it to your grant application to the prospective funding agency.

Faculty and Staff of the University have a professional obligation to act in the best interests of the University. The Financial Conflict of Interest Policy for Research delineates the requirements for disclosing significant financial interests that may constitute financial conflicts of interest, regardless of whether the Faculty or Staff is performing research under U.S. Public Health Service grants and cooperative agreements.

Faculty or Staff involved in a research project at Chicago State University must understand the Financial Conflict of Interest Policy, complete the training related to the policy, and fulfill, sign, and submit a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form. In addition, Faculty and Staff must report to the Research Integrity Officer if they are aware of any not-disclosed financial conflicts of interest of other personnel of the University.

Financial Conflict of Interest for Research documents:

• Policy
• Training
•  Disclosure Form

Faculty and staff are directed to the January 21, 2021, Presidential Memorandum on United States Government-Supported Research and Development National Security Policy and the Guidance For Implementing National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) On National Security Strategy for United States Government-Supported Research and Development for more information regarding federally mandated changes to outside activity disclosures and changes to sponsored project applications and reporting. 

Chicago State University is committed to fostering a research enterprise that provides a safe and professional environment at all organizational levels for learning, conducting research, and reporting research results with integrity, respect, fairness, and transparency .

Research Misconduct violates these principles and negatively impacts the work of other researchers who rely on their colleagues to provide honest accounts of their research methods and findings. It includes fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reporting research, or in reporting research results. Fabrication is making up data or results and recording or reporting them. Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that research is not accurately represented in the research record. Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without giving appropriate credit. In addition, Research Misconduct erodes the public trust in researchers and the institutions for which they work.

CSU's Integrity Officer (RIO),Dr. Edmundo Garcia manages reports of potential research misconduct carried out by CSU faculty, staff, and students. To report alleged research misconduct, please contact him at egarcia@csu.edu.

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Research grants funded by the Federal Government require RCR training for all participants:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH). All participants are required to attend appropriate RCR face-to-face training in compliance with NIH Notice # NIH Notice NOT-OD-10-019 .
• National Sciences Foundation (NSF). RCR training is required for all undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. However, NSF does not specify any required RCR training methods (see NSF Notice 140). This training can be delivered in a face-to-face setting (such as group or lab meetings, seminars, or courses), or online.
• US department of Agriculture (USDA). For grants from the USDA, each institution is responsible for developing its own USDA RCR Training system - either on-campus or off-campus. For the latter USDA recommends the CITIProgram RCR training .

• Lab Safety
• Hazardous Material Management
• Biological and Chemical Safety Laboratory Inspections
• Biological and Chemical Safety Clinic Inspections

Effective January 2023 both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are implementing a new Data Management and Sharing Policies. After that date, applications for funding must include:

• A Data Management and Sharing Plan which outlines how scientific data, and any accompanying metadata, will be managed and shared, considering any potential restrictions or limitations.
• Budgeting information for managing, preserving, and sharing data.

Outline instructions for the NIH may be found at Notice NOT-OD-23-013,  and for NSF see NSF Data Management Plan Requirements.   .

All research data generated within Chicago State University or on behalf of CSU is owned by CSU. This data should be housed at CSU or on a password-protected CSU-owned device. CSU researchers should travel with a password-protected device that is swept clean of everything but typical software and minimal data. International travel by CSU researchers with CSU-owned electronic equipment with original unpublished data  must receive prior  authorization by the Associate Provost of Research and Grants Administration. Additional data security rules may also apply and researchers are referred to OGRA and the Office of Legal Affairs.