Ethical review procedures in international internet-based intervention studies

Anne Looijmans; Simon S Spahrkäs; Robbert Sanderman; Mariët Hagedoorn

doi:10.1016/j.invent.2021.100487

Ethical review procedures in international internet-based intervention studies

Internet Interv. 2021 Nov 26:28:100487. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2021.100487. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Authors

Anne Looijmans¹, Simon S Spahrkäs¹, Robbert Sanderman^{1

2}, Mariët Hagedoorn¹

Affiliations

¹ University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Health Psychology, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV Groningen, the Netherlands.
² Department of Psychology, Health & Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.

Abstract

International internet-based studies could be accessible by participants from various countries worldwide. However, the jurisdiction of research ethics committees (RECs) or institutional review boards (IRBs) is bound to geographical state or country borders. How can researchers deal with the geographical boundaries in the jurisdiction of RECs/IRBs versus the worldwide, open character of international internet-based research? Should ethical approval be sought in each country where participants will be recruited? In this paper, we want to share our challenges in setting up the ethical review procedures in an international internet-based mHealth intervention study, to further the discussion on ethical procedures in internet-based research.

Keywords: Ethical review; IRB, institutional review boards; International study; Internet-based research; REC, research ethics committee; Research ethics committees.

Publication types

Editorial