IRB Approval: Check!

Just received word today that my proposal went through the IRB process and was granted exemption. It's not like I'm surprised but....it went so smoothly and quickly.

What does this mean?....that I am actually going to do this research...and I can start now!

Next: mind-numbing conversion of 1990 to 2000 census tracts, data extraction, and derivation of new variables.

Paperwork and Proposals: MASSIVE NEWS

So BIG NEWS TODAY, Loyal Readers:

****************Four out of four professors agree, it's time to sit around and wait for the Institutional Review Board!*************************


After an extremely extended period of time, it looks like my dissertation proposal is finally complete! Right now I have 2 of 4 faculty signatures and am waiting on the other two to arrive by fax from exotic locations. Next I schlep a huge pile of papers and documentation to the research services office where hopefully they will not request that I fill out more forms. Then, it's sit around and wait for their agonized approval process.

This is great news because I have a progress report due by Friday and I really wanted to have some progress to report about.

Actually I was thinking, with all of these gyrations that we go through to protect human subjects and their associated data, there is still one big loophole that the IRBs around the world have neglected to address: Accidental Disclosure During Sleep (ADDS).

I don't recall a single discussion or affidavit regarding ADDS. What if, in a fit of restless, nightmare-ridden, dissertation-anxious sleep I accidentally disclose the census tract and shoe size of one of my survey respondents? My partner could hear this and in a fit of jealous rage regarding my dissertation fixation on total strangers, could start stalking all size 13-ers in East LA.

But what could be done to prevent this egregious violation of the right to privacy? Maybe there is some kind of preventive pharmaceutical for this? Or maybe all partners of researchers should sign a form stating that they will not act on information obtained via ADDS? Or maybe there should be no during-dissertation sleeping at all? Any thoughts?

Dissertation Proposal Progress

There has been more progress on the dissertation front. (Yes, I am STILL stillin school.) Three of my four committee members are satisfied with my proposal and the last--my statistician--got back to me today about his revisions. Despite my fears, his comments are not only helpful but they're actually pretty easy. After all, how hard is it to delete an episilon from an equation?

Even better, during our conversation today, we laid to rest A BIG ISSUE. A potentially huge analysis problem (I thought) that was already causing me anxiety. It is now a NON-ISSUE.

Still more progress, I have received official approval on one front to use the data, and from another, to pay for it. Can this really be happening??!

Meanwhile, I am finalizing my first application to a post-doc position. Since this is so much fun, I figure, why not continue onward?!

Some success is good

Some good news from the proposal front. After what seems like a lifetime of procrastination, revision, and some actual writing, I have completed some sort of final draft of my dissertation proposal. My chair and advisor have signed off on it and yesterday I sent it out to my statistician and my 4th committee member. I don’t expect many revisions from the committee member but the statistician, as they all are, is bound to be a bit more unpredictable.

It is, in total, including references but not all of my appendices, nearly 15,000 words long. What the hell is wrong with me?!

More good news: I have actually applied for data access. My data is kept under lock and key with what seems to be more security than the freaking Hope Diamond. Needless to say, the application to allow me to actually analyze the data is pretty intense. I wouldn’t be surprised if they undertake a criminal background check and start calling on my friends to find out my dirty little statistical secrets. I can totally envision my undoing, "Yeah, and once, she like totally forgot to check for multicollinearity when running a logistic regression exercise in class." Thus sounds my death knell.

Next up, university research application protocols and institutional review board (IRB) application. This is bound to be the best part.