Research with animal or human subjects

Research conducted outside of the U.S.

If you plan to conduct research that involves animals or human subjects in another country, start by answering the following questions:

• Does your destination country have specific laws, customs, or ethical procedures that need to be followed when working with animals or people?
• Prior to traveling, have you completed all paperwork required by the U.S. government and WSU to conduct research with animal or human subjects in another country?

If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, please contact the Office of Research Assurances.

Reminders when conducting human subjects research internationally

• Obtain WSU IRB approval on any project involving human subjects, regardless of whether or not the project is considered international research. IRB approval is required before conducting any research, domestic or international, involving human subjects.
• Please consider all aspects of the international research project prior to project initiation. The IRB process will assist in the identification of considerations. Some of these considerations include, but are not limited to:
  • Research context – determine how the research population will be impacted by the project.
  • Communication – determine the language and literacy levels of the research population.
  • Consent – ensure that consent procedures meet or exceed WSU IRB standards, and that they are consistent with local norms of the research population.
  • Confidentiality – determine how the local setting will impact privacy of the research population and participants.
  • Compensation – determine if and how local compensation will be provided.
  • Participant and researcher safety – consider how travel to the area and political stability impact the safety of those involved in the research project.