To add a bit more for people who haven't been involved in an IRB: The strictness varies by university. Ultimately the IRB is there to ensure safety of the par

To add a bit more for people who haven't been involved in an IRB: The strictness varies by university. Ultimately the IRB is there to ensure safety of the participants and minimize the chance of negative consequences. A couple examples I've heard from around my university include... A study was taking place outside. There was a chance of a bee sting occurring to the participant. The IRB required that the researcher have an epi-pen ready just in case along with any required training. A paper used in a study had the wrong stamp on it (not the most recent IRB stamp). The document had not changed from the last time, but the rule was simple. Every document presented to the participant had to have the most recent stamp. On a study in which it was expected that 1/2 of the participants would feel nauseous, they had to provide a place to sit, water, and small snacks. And perhaps most importantly, you can quit any study you're participating in at any time, for any reason. Compensation is figured out ahead of time, and you're going to get lots of questions from IRB if you want to do anything to reduce the compensation for leaving part way through the experiment.