Table 3.

Sample questions from the institutional survey for research ethics system

Domains	Components	Illustrative questions
Institution	Institutional leadership, plans and policies	Does institution has written policies that clearly state the kinds of research protocols that must be submitted to the IRB?
	Institutional finances	Does the institution set aside financial support for the Office of Research?
	Formal teaching of research ethics	Does institution offer any type of educational opportunities in research ethics for your students?
	Human resources	Are there individuals currently on institution's faculty/staff with a significant academic interest in bioethics?
	Student dissertations or theses policies	Is there an institution-wide requirement that student proposals involving research with human beings discuss any potential ethics issues?
	External collaborations	Does institution have any significant ongoing external collaboration in research?
Office of Research and Development (or equivalent office)	Structure	Does institution have an organizational chart showing where the Office of Research sits in relation to other departments?
	Finances	What approximate percentage of the institution's budget is devoted to research ethics activities?
	Personnel and resources	Please indicate staff positions and primary activities of the office?
	Training activities	Is any professional training required for research ethics personnel?
Institutional Review Boards – IRB (or Research Ethics Committees)	History and function	When was the present IRB inaugurated?
	Registration	Is the IRB registered with the US Office for Human Research Protection?
	External collaborations	Does IRB itself have a formal relationship with any external organizations, agencies, institutions, or committees?
	Volume and type of proposals reviewed	How many research proposals were reviewed by the IRB in the latest year for which you have data?
	Membership	How many members sit on the IRB?
	Resources	Does the IRB have a dedicated meeting room to conduct protocol reviews?
	Training	Does the IRB provide research ethics training for its members?
	Review practices	Are 'minutes' taken during IRB meetings?
National Policies, Laws and Structures	National guidelines	Are there national guidelines addressing the ethical conduct of research with human subjects?
	National laws and regulations	Are there national laws or regulations in the country regarding the ethical conduct of research?
	National structures	Are there other institutions with IRBs in the country?
	National training, development and advocacy	Are there any established accreditation programs related to research ethics in the country?