⚖️Ethics & Liability

Human Subject Research 👥

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training

All researchers must have active Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training to interact with participants or assist in data collection and analysis. Researchers need to complete all modules within the Group 2 Social/Behavioral Research Investigators and Key Personnel.

Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes strict standards for handling private and secure health information. Violations of HIPAA are taken very seriously and can result in investigations or even the shutdown of the lab. All participant information must remain confidential and should only be shared with approved researchers listed on the IRB protocol.

Confidential information includes, but is not limited to:

Participant involvement in the study
Their age or date of birth
Demographic information
Social security numbers
Any data related to their participation in current or past studies

Researchers are prohibited from discussing or sharing any participant information or individual task scores with anyone outside of the approved lab team. To ensure confidentiality, all data are linked only to a subject number, not a participant’s name. The subject database, which links subject numbers to names, is highly sensitive and must not be shared under any circumstances.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for ethical oversight of human subjects research, ensuring the potential benefits of a study outweigh the risks to participants, researchers, and society. They also prevent ethical violations and enforce corrective actions when needed.

Typically, a graduate student or post-doc handles submitting and amending IRB protocols, renewing expired protocols, and reporting violations. All researchers must be listed and approved on the protocol and have completed CITI training before interacting with participants or data. Once the IRB approves a study, a notice will be sent to researchers. Until then, no recruitment, participant interaction, or data analysis should take place.

IRB practices vary by university, and the Georgia Tech IRB is particularly strict due to the institution’s high research standards. Any IRB protocol violations must be reported immediately to the lab manager, a graduate student, or Randy. Major violations should be raised directly with Randy before contacting external parties (such as the IRB), unless participant or researcher safety is at risk.

Lab Culture 🤝

Academic Honesty

Science does not work without trust, honesty, and transparency, and academic dishonesty undermines the scientific enterprise. Report any suspicions of falsified/fabricated data or plagiarized work to Randy at once.

Computer Security

All researchers must ensure data and participant information are secure. This includes:

Keeping lab doors shut and locked when not in use
Logging off computers when not in use

Restricting participants to the waiting room, running rooms, and common areas. They should never have access to the control room unless they're being scheduled for their next session.

Data Ownership

Data collected in the lab belong to the university and, in some cases, the funding agency. The principal investigator (PI) is the "steward of the data," with graduate students and occasionally undergraduates permitted to analyze and publish the data. Any issues regarding data use must be discussed with Randy, the lab PI.

Researchers must receive explicit permission from Randy before keeping, publishing, or sharing data, including for conference submissions, journal articles, class projects, or undergraduate theses. Do not take data home, share it, or use it without consent.

For more information on data, refer to RCR Data Acquisition Management and Responsible Conduct in Data Management.

Discrimination & Harassment

Our goal in this lab is to conduct the best science possible. Lab members should feel safe and comfortable in a work environment free from discrimination or harassment based on race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, ability, sexual orientation, or any other irrelevant characteristic. You should expect respect from both co-workers and supervisors.

If you have concerns about discrimination or harassment involving a participant or another RA, please reach out to a graduate student or lab manager. Concerns about a graduate student, lab manager, or Post-Doc should be directed to Randy. Please review Georgia Tech’s anti-harassment policy.

Inappropriate Behavior

Inappropriate or criminal behavior will not be tolerated. If you suspect, witness, or are a victim of any behavior violating protocol, ethics, or law, you are obligated to report it to a lab member or the proper authorities.

Report any concerns to the lab manager or a graduate student, who will determine the appropriate course of action. For serious issues or those involving a graduate student, contact Randy. We prefer to address matters internally before escalating to third parties (such as the chair, dean, provost, IRB, or law enforcement), as false alarms can lead to swift and harsh consequences for the lab.

The lab manager, graduate students, and PIs are "responsible employees" and must report any suspicion of wrongdoing, even if it occurs off-campus, if it affects a lab member. Minor protocol or ethical violations should be reported for immediate correction, while more severe violations should be reported directly to Randy.

Safety

Our lab differs from many others in that we work with community participants. This requires additional precautions to ensure the safety of both researchers and participants. Though rare, issues can arise, and it's important to be vigilant.

Report to the lab manager or supervising graduate student immediately if:

You feel a participant lacks the mental capacity to understand their rights or meet the study’s requirements at any point during the consent process or after
You suspect a participant needs medical or psychological assistance
You feel threatened or uneasy around a participant
You witness a participant committing a crime
You suspect a participant is lying about their identity or attempting to defraud the lab

If you or a participant are injured or need immediate assistance, call 911.

Theft

Lab materials should never leave the lab without permission. This includes, but is not limited to, lab equipment, consent forms, data in any form, manuscripts or write-ups, presentations, etc.

Stealing from individuals or the lab will not be tolerated and may result in prosecution. Our lab is primarily funded by U.S. government grants, including military funding. Anything purchased with lab (grant) funds is not only Georgia Tech's property but also the U.S. government's and, in some cases, the U.S. military's. Stealing from the lab is considered theft from the government and could lead to federal charges.

All theft cases will be reported to the proper authorities. Theft involving expensive equipment, equipment with data or participant information, or fraud related to participant payment will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of Georgia Tech, municipal, state, and federal law.