Ethics committee review board – UGC NET Question

An institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee is responsible for examining research proposals to ensure that risks to participants are minimised, benefits are reasonable and ethical principles such as respect, beneficence and justice are upheld. It has authority to approve, require modifications to or disapprove studies. IRBs play a crucial role in protecting vulnerable populations and maintaining public trust in research. Therefore, the committee described in the stem is correctly called an institutional review board.

Option A:
Institutional review boards are typically established within universities, hospitals or research organisations and operate under formal guidelines and regulations. They review consent procedures, safeguards for confidentiality and risk–benefit analyses before granting approval. This oversight role fits the stem’s description, so this option is correct.

Option B:
An academic review board might focus more broadly on programme quality or curriculum issues and is not specifically charged with evaluating ethical aspects of research involving human participants.

Option C:
Advisory committees provide guidance or recommendations but may lack the formal regulatory authority of an IRB to approve or reject studies based on ethical criteria.

Option D:
Evaluation boards may assess project outcomes or performance rather than pre-emptive ethical compliance, so they are not the correct term here.