The CARAS Research Advisory Committee (RAC) is a community advisory board composed of representatives from sexuality communities served by CARAS, scholars in the sciences and humanities, and clinicians. This advisory committee brings community members and scholars together to review proposals for scientific/scholarly merit, ethics, and community benefit. Once a proposal is endorsed by the RAC, CARAS may directly support the project by activating resources within sexuality communities to help with tasks such as outreach/publicity, recruitment, and community feedback.
The RAC review process provides a variety of tangible benefits. These include expert feedback on research protocol development and design, analysis of ethical and regulatory issues to help prepare for Institutional Review Board (IRB) review, and access to the extended CARAS network of scholars, community leaders, and organizations.
Proposals need not be based in an academic or research institution to be reviewed by the RAC, but all proposals must provide a description of study objectives and procedures in sufficient detail to allow review by the committee. If applicable, formal CARAS endorsement is based on a final, IRB approved protocol. However, the RAC can review a draft proposal and, if favorable, CARAS endorsement conditioned on final IRB approval can be cited in an IRB submission or grant application as part of the recruitment plan, and as evidence of community support for a proposed project.
Human subjects research studies that have are already started data collection will generally not be accepted for RAC review. The optimum time to submit a project for RAC review is prior to submission to an IRB or other ethics review committee, which allows the principal investigator to more easily consider and implement the results of the RAC review.
How does the RAC review process work?
The research principal investigator/project lead submits a written proposal to the CARAS Research Support Program office. CARAS will conduct a preliminary administrative review of the proposal for completeness and content. If the proposal is incomplete or otherwise not ready for review by the RAC, a representative of the CARAS Research Support Program will work with the investigator to prepare the protocol for review.
Once accepted for review, the RAC will convene to review the proposal. The RAC will evaluate the proposal to determine that it meets three criteria for CARAS endorsement: the written proposal must indicate that the study (1) has a sound design, consistent with established standards applicable to the proposed research or scholarly activity; (2) will be ethically conducted, so that participants are treated with respect and protected from harms; and (3) offers some prospect of benefit to the communities being studied. Proposals that meet these criteria will be endorsed by the RAC. The RAC may offer recommendations to improve the project, or in some cases offer a conditional approval dependent upon completion of stipulations deemed necessary by the committee for the study to meet all three criteria for endorsement.
How long will the RAC review take?
The amount of time required for RAC review depends primarily on the state of the proposal when submitted. Complete proposals with a clearly written and sound design should be reviewed by the RAC, with results provided to the investigator within 30 calendar days of acceptance by CARAS. The process for proposals that require elaboration or revision may be longer.
What happens after my proposal is endorsed by the RAC?
After the RAC formally endorses a proposal, CARAS may work with the investigator/project lead to help execute the project. For example, CARAS may contact organizations within a particular sexuality community to help enlist their assistance to recruit study volunteers, or to assist with introductions and access to a particular group. CARAS support of a particular project will be tailored to the project’s needs.
RAC endorsement is in effect for a period of two years from the date of formal endorsement. Projects that extend beyond this timeframe may be resubmitted for RAC review.
Additional information and notifications
RAC review is available to all current CARAS subscribers. CARAS encourages students to submit projects for RAC review but requires that the student's primary academic advisor be identified in the application. The academic advisor will be informed about CARAS review of student proposals. A legal name of the investigator/project lead will be used in all correspondence and announcements referencing the research. CARAS requires RAC endorsement prior to support of research using CARAS resources.
If the proposed research does not meet criteria for CARAS endorsement the committee will formally decline to endorse the proposal. If declined a revised proposal may be submitted as a new RAC application, but acceptance is contingent upon a favorable administrative pre-review that indicates previously identified concerns have been addressed.
A summary of the result of RAC reviews will be posted to the CARAS website and accessible to the public. This summary will include the title of the project, the name and institutional affiliation of the investigator/project lead, and the outcome of the review.
