Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Call Box 9000 Mayagüez, PR 00681 (787) 832-4040 ext. 3810, 2151, 2155 library@uprm.edu
In this section, we include information about some of these requirements, and we provide some links that may be useful.
If your investigation involves the participation of human research subjects, you must obtain prior approval from the Committee for the Protection of Human Research Subjects (CPSHI). This includes any study where you obtain information about people through intervention or interaction, even if this does not occur in a direct or in-person manner.
In these cases, CPSHI may require you to complete training modules from CITI Program as a condition for conducting your study. These modules cover several research ethics topics that you must be familiar with if your study includes human research subjects.
Important note: In addition to covering topics related to the protection of human research subjects, CITI Program covers other areas of research integrity, such as ethical treatment of animals and lab safety. Depending on the nature of your study, you may be required to complete different training materials.
If your TDP research plan required approval by CPSHI, evidence of this approval must be included as an appendix in your final work.
To request review by CPSHI of a proposed research project, go to https://www.uprm.edu/p/cpshi/formularios_irb
If you plan to conduct research involving non-human vertebrate animals, it is important that you have access to the following resources from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC):
If you have questions regarding studies of this kind, you can write to cicua-iacuc@uprm.edu
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
If you are going to conduct an investigation which involves vulnerable or endangered species or certain types of protected wildlife, you may have to obtain a permit from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. To request this permit, you may visit http://www.drna.pr.gov/documentos/solicitud-para-propositos-cientificos
For a PDF version of the permit request document, click here.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
This is another agency you may have to contact and obtain a permit from if your TDP involves wildlife studies. To access the website of the agency's Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, visit https://www.fws.gov/southeast/caribbean/#
Puerto Rico Department of Education
The Department of Education has a platform where you can submit research proposals and obtain necessary authorization to conduct your studies. To access the platform, visit https://ciie.dde.pr