Off-Campus Travel Requirements
Undergraduate Research requires specific forms of preparation for off-campus projects and conferences. If your project involves off-campus travel (domestic or international), your application should demonstrate your preparedness in these areas:
- Commit to taking a course that addresses issues of ethics, safety, and cultural concerns at your project location. Examples of courses include: ANTHRO 93B, HISTORY 299X. Consult with your faculty mentor on the recommended course for your project, and request that your faculty address your course preparation in the letter of support.
- Work with a faculty mentor to gain insight and awareness of the issues and norms in the geographical area of the project. If this will be your primary preparation method, your faculty mentor must include a detailed description of the mentor's work with you in the letter of support.
- You should provide details of your travel itinerary and safety plan.
- First and foremost, consult with your faculty mentor and also your honors program director about the appropriate course(s) that prepare you well for undertaking the work in the field.
- A search for "research methods" in Explore Courses will give you some idea of the range of methodology courses offered by different departments and programs.
- Discuss your course choices with Academic Advising Directors and research staff.
International Travel Requirements
A project or conference that involves international travel must provide a Travel Appendix in the grant proposal. The Travel Appendix must include thoughtful responses to the questions in the document "Required information about international travel".
Furthermore, ensure that your travel complies with the Provost's International Travel Policy for undergraduates and Undergraduate Research's project eligibility guidelines. Use the "OIA Travel Checklist" as a start. Refer also to the travel-related resources below as you construct your travel and safety plans.
Human Subjects Research Requirements
Human subjects research is defined as the systematic investigation of data from living persons to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. This can include interviews, ethnographic observations, reviews of existing records, and experimental medical procedures. All human subjects research must follow certain policies to minimize risks to those subjects.
If your research involves human subjects, you must complete the following steps by the time you submit your application for an Undergraduate Research Student Grant:
Not sure where to begin? For an overview of human subjects research, examples of projects that generally do and do not require IRB review, and instructions on how to submit a Human Subjects Protocol, start with this helpful resource: Introduction to Stanford's Institutional Review Board.
If you and your faculty mentor are still unsure whether your project involves human subjects research or whether it requires IRB review, consult with Stanford's IRB: For non-medical research, write to irbnonmed@stanford.edu; for medical research, write to irbeducation@stanford.edu. If Stanford's IRB concludes that your research does not require review, you do not have to submit a Human Subjects Protocol.
If you will be working on a project that should be covered by your lab or work group's IRB protocol, you must ensure that the IRB approval certificate (Certification of Human Subjects Approvals) has your name on it. If your name is not on the protocol, you need to work closely with your PI to submit this update to the IRB, again no later than the first day of the same month as your intended Student Grant deadline.
If your project is one that requires IRB Review, you must submit proof of submission of your eProtocol with your grant application. Should Undergraduate Research accept your proposal, you will have to submit a copy of your IRB approval certificate. See the For Awardees page for more details.
More Resources
- Stanford International Travel Assistance Program - use the online tool to get access to Stanford's International SOS resources
- Stanford Office of International Affairs
- The Vaden Health Center Travel Clinic
- The U.S. State Department's travel advisories
- The State Department's specific resources for students
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control's information for travelers
- The Research Compliance Office and IRB
- eProtocol Help