Institutional Review Board
Institutional Review Board
Purpose Statement
The purpose of the Colorado College Institutional Research Board (IRB) is to foster ethical treatment of human research participants and to oversee all research (broadly defined) involving human participants conducted under the auspices of Colorado College.
Interaction with the IRB is necessary because researchers worldwide have a history of conducting studies that harmed participants, failed to respect them as human beings, or otherwise did not treat them ethically. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are mandated by the federal government and exist in order to make sure that all research involving people is ethical and falls within certain legal guidelines.
IRB Chair
Shannon Claxton, Ph.D., Chair
719-227-8177
sclaxton@coloradocollege.edu
About the CC IRB
The CC IRB is composed of faculty, staff, and an external community member.
The members of the 2025-2026 IRB are:
Shannon Claxton, Chair, Director of Academic Assessment, Accreditation, and Evaluation
Margaret Daugherty, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Kristi Erdal, Psychology
Steve Lawson, Librarian, Tutt Library
Katherine Silz Carson, Economics and Geosciences, United States Air Force Academy
Federal regulations dictate that Institutional Review Boards shall be composed of at least five members, at least one of whom must not be affiliated with the institution. At Colorado College, The Director of Academic Assessment, Accreditation, and Evaluation chairs the IRB. The Faculty Executive Committee appoints at least two additional faculty members and Staff Council appoints at least one Colorado College Staff member. The external member is recruited by the chair. See the Standard Operating Procedures Manual for more details about the CC IRB.
What are the Main Concerns of the IRB?
When reviewing your research proposal, the IRB focuses on five main concerns:
- HARM: Is the risk of harm to research participants minimal? If there is some risk, is the harm itself not greater than that which would be encountered in everyday life? How is the risk of harm minimized? Do the benefits of the research outweigh potential harms?
- CONSENT: Is there a consent process that includes sufficient information about the research, assures that potential participants comprehend the information, and guarantees that participants participate voluntarily and are not coerced?
- VULNERABLE PARTICIPANTS: Has the researcher gone to the necessary lengths to make sure that vulnerable participants (e.g., children, members of oppressed groups, etc.) are treated with extra care and sensitivity?
- CONFIDENTIALITY/PRIVACY/ANONYMITY: Can the researcher guarantee that the identity of the participants will not be revealed to anyone other than the people carrying out the research? Can the researcher guarantee that the information provided by the participants will be maintained in privacy so that no one who should not see it will see it?
- DECEPTION: Does the researcher need to mislead the participants in any way about the goals of the study, the process of participation, or both? If so, what steps can be taken to minimize the risk of deception-related harm to participants?
The IRB also addresses other topics, covered on this website, including the use of incentives in research, internet and social media research, and international research.
Additionally, many academic disciplines have their own ethical guidelines for human-subjects research. See discipline-specific resources:
Getting Started with an IRB Application
If you are submitting a project to the IRB, begin by reviewing the Start Here page to determine what type of application you need. You can find all required forms for submission on the Application Forms and Templates Page.
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Last updated: 06/12/2026