Geography, Me, and the IRB: From Roadblock to Resource

Abstract

Discussion of human subjects protection in research conducted by social scientists has painted the costs and benefits in too-stark terms. Given that human subjects protection is a spatially and temporally stretched-out process involving multiple actors, there is more latitude for interpretation, flexibility, and negotiation than most are willing to concede. As a geographer active in human subjects research, and an institutional review board (IRB) chair at a large public university, the author occupies a unique vantage point from which to reflect on the contributions of geographers to human subjects protection and vice versa. The confidentiality of linked sociospatial data, mobility of research participants, and scalar mismatches in oversight constitute three issues that particularly concern geographers. In conclusion, broader pragmatic suggestions for productive interaction with IRBs are offered.