We’re always pleased to find a concise and focused recap of the Revised Common Rule’s (RCR) key elements, given the massiveness of the change that’s to take effect Jan. 22, and the reams of information floating around online about it.
The federal Office for Human Research Protections (the agency who finally gave us the RCR after many, many years of drafting it) has created a Q&A page about its highlights that we think the research community will find helpful.
We recommend researchers begin by closely reading the sections on exemptions and informed consent, as those are the two areas that arguably will have the greatest impact on day-to-day research conducts. (Hint: If your project meets one of the new or revised criteria for exemption, we *strongly encourage* you to time your submission such that approval comes on or after Jan. 22, which should be pretty easy to accomplish by now.)