Definition

Institutional Review Board—the committee that approves research involving human subjects to ensure ethical treatment. They're the bureaucratic guardians preventing another Tuskegee experiment, though researchers often view them as sadistic form-multiplication specialists.

Example Usage

My IRB application for surveying students about study habits required more paperwork than my actual dissertation.

Origin

Established by the National Research Act of 1974 following revelations of unethical research practices

Fun Fact

IRB approval processes can take months, leading researchers to joke that the greatest harm to human subjects is the delay in publishing potentially beneficial findings.

Source: Research ethics and regulatory compliance

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