Office of Research Integrity and Protections

214 Lyman Hall
Phone: 315-443-3013
Email: orip@syr.edu

What is the Office of Research Integrity and Protections?

The Office of Research Integrity and Protections is Syracuse University’s compliance and oversight office for research involving human participants and animals. Its mission is to assist faculty, staff, and students in obtaining required regulatory reviews, ensuring ethical conduct, and maintaining University and federal compliance while facilitating research. The office reports to the Vice President for Research and works centrally across all schools and colleges.

Services and Support Offered

The Office of Research Integrity and Protections provides a broad set of services to help researchers conduct their work ethically and in compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and policies:

• Human Research Protection (IRB): Administers the University’s Institutional Review Board, reviews research protocols involving human subjects, ensures informed consent, monitors studies post-approval, and oversees study closeout.
• Animal Research Oversight (IACUC): Reviews and approves protocols involving the use of animals, ensures humane treatment, and monitors compliance.
• Regulatory and Policy Guidance: Advises researchers on meeting federal, state, and University requirements—including the Common Rule (45 CFR Part 46), GDPR, data security, confidentiality, and policy standards.
• Education and Training: Requires CITI training for research involving human subjects; offers optional courses (e.g. “Research Ethics for All” for special populations / community partners); Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training.
• Consultation and Administrative Support: Provides one-on-one advising, help with preparing and submitting forms, reporting required documentation, maintaining records, and ethical review.
• Quality Assurance and Compliance Monitoring: Maintains the University’s federal assurances, quality improvement of review processes, oversight of post-approval actions, reporting of concerns, and ensuring research integrity.

Key Responsibilities

The Office of Research Integrity and Protections is responsible for:

• Ensuring all research involving human or animal subjects is reviewed, approved, and monitored according to applicable federal, state, and institutional requirements.
• Maintaining the University’s federal assurances and required regulatory registrations (e.g. IRB registrations, Federalwide Assurance for human subjects).
• Upholding ethical standards such as those in the Belmont Report (respect for persons, beneficence, justice).
• Enforcing policies for informed consent, confidentiality, reporting adverse events, monitoring ongoing studies.
• Supporting researchers to understand and comply with policies and deadlines, ensuring that no parts of studies proceed without proper approval.
• Providing safe, fair, and transparent mechanisms for reporting concerns or allegations of noncompliance or misconduct, and handling those reports confidentially.

How to Get Started and Contact the Office of Research Integrity and Protections

• When to Contact:
  As early as possible—before planning human or animal subject work. Reach out during study design, to ensure all ethical and regulatory aspects are addressed (forms, training, approvals).
• What to Prepare:
  Study protocol (methods, instruments, recruitment, consent/assent forms), staff qualifications, risk mitigation, participant protections, data privacy, relevant institutional policies.
• Reporting Concerns:
  If you become aware of potential noncompliance, misconduct, or welfare concerns (human or animal participants), the office provides confidential reporting mechanisms. Good-faith reports are protected; anonymity is an option for many reports.
• Contact Information:
  Office of Research Integrity and Protections (214 Lyman Hall)
  Phone: 315-443-3013
  Email: orip@syr.edu