What purpose does an Institutional Review Board (IRB) serve in research contexts?

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is primarily responsible for ensuring the ethical conduct of research involving human participants. The core purpose of an IRB is to protect the rights and welfare of these participants by reviewing research protocols and any materials related to the study, such as informed consent forms. The board assesses whether the potential benefits of the research outweigh any risks to participants and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to mitigate those risks. By focusing on ethical considerations, the IRB plays a vital role in upholding the integrity of the research process and fostering trust between researchers and participants.

The other options reflect activities related to research but do not align with the specific purpose of an IRB. While recruiting participants, collecting qualitative data, and producing research findings are important aspects of the research process, they do not encompass the primary ethical oversight function that an IRB fulfills.