IRB Guidelines for Employment of Deception in Research Projects

The employment of deception (see Definitions for definition of deception in research) by an investigator(s) for the purpose of securing subject participation and/or to prevent potentially biased reporting of data/information by the subject is permissible provided all of the following conditions exist:

1. Deception is necessary due to the lack of alternative procedures for data collection not involving deception.
2. The deceptive procedures will not place subjects at significant financial, physical, psychological, or social risk.
3. The data collection/experiment will be followed by careful debriefing sessions whereby the subjects are fully informed of the nature and purpose of the deception.
4. The procedures for deception must meet the guidelines established by the discipline of the investigator through its professional code of ethics.

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