Table 2.

Institutional and Research Ethics Committee survey—Illustrative questions

Institutional survey	Institutional leadership, plans, and policies	Does [Institution] have written institution-wide policies that clearly state the kinds of research protocols that must be submitted to the IRB?
	Institutional finances	Does [Institution] set aside financial support for research ethics or for example an Office of Research and Development?
	Formal teaching of research ethics	Does [Institution] offer any type of educational opportunities in research ethics for students? For faculty?
IRB member survey	Human resources	Are there individuals currently on [Institution]’s academic faculty/staff with a significant academic interest in bioethics? Does [Institution] offer any type of educational opportunities in research ethics for students? For faculty?
	Institutional finances	Does the IRB receive sufficient financial support?
	Formal training of research ethics	Do the members of the IRB have adequate training in research ethics required to provide quality reviews?
	Relevance	Are the IRB standard operating procedures sufficiently detailed?
	Implementation	Is the IRB review process clear? Does it ensure that reviews are completed in an appropriate amount of time?