Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Research Approval Process

Instructions for Completing
Research Request - DoDEA 2071.3
Once completed, all four forms should be submitted electronically or via regular mail to:
Sandra Embler
Chief, Research and Evaluation

Department of Defense Education Activity
4800 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22350
[email protected]
Form 1 - “Research Study Request”
1. Enter your name (Last, first, and middle initial)
2. Enter the date you are submitting your research request to DoDEA.
3. Enter the complete address at which you prefer to be contacted regarding your research request, including
street, city, state, and zip code. You may enter a home or work address. If you reside outside the United States,
an APO or FPO address is preferable if available.
4a and 4b. Enter your home and work telephone numbers. If entering a stateside number, include the area
code; if entering a number outside the US, enter the number as it would be dialed from the US (beginning with
the country code). If entering a DSN number, please put “DSN” before the number you enter and enter the full
DSN number.
5. (Not required) Enter either a work or home FAX number. If entering a stateside number, include the area
code; if entering a number outside the US, enter the number as it would be dialed from the US (beginning with
the country code).
6. Enter an email address where you prefer to be contacted regarding your research request. You may enter a
work or personal email address.
7. Check the appropriate box indicating whether or not you are currently an employee of the Department of
Defense Education Activity. If you check “yes” enter your current assignment, including school and district. If
you are located at a District or Area office, enter the Area or District followed by “Office” (e.g. Europe Area
Office, Isles District Office).
8. Enter the full title of your proposed research as it will appear on official documents (e.g. dissertation, thesis,
etc.).
9. Proposal abstract – provide a summary of your proposed research, including a statement of the problem, the
purpose, data that will used, and method(s) of analysis. This should be similar to the abstract at the beginning of
scholarly articles. There is no required length for the abstract; however, it should sufficiently describe the
proposed research and fit into the space provided. In writing the abstract, ask yourself the following questions:
Why would another researcher be interested in this research?
What are the most important aspects of the research? What should a reader be sure to know about the
research?
What information will the reader have to have in order to understand the most important aspects?

10. Explain how your research study is: 1. Directly related to the goals of the DoDEA Community Strategic
Plan (available at www.dodea.edu/) and 2) how your research will directly benefit DoDEA. In completing the
first section, you should refer to the specific CSP goal(s) your proposed research addresses and describe how
your research relates to this goal. In completing the second section, you should describe how the findings from
your proposed study can directly benefit DoDEA.
11. State each of your research questions. Research questions should be numbered and stated as a question.
12. Provide specifics regarding your proposed sample. In column 2 provide the projected number of
individuals in each group (students, parents, etc.), and in the third column provide a brief description of each
group. Column 3 should include the school(s) from which the sample will be drawn and any demographic
selectors, such as specific grades, gender, race, etc. If you will be using different individuals within each
sample, list the numbers and descriptions for each separately.
13. Provide the details regarding the instruments and timeline for your data collection. In column 2 describe
the type of data to be collected (e.g. teacher survey, assessment scores). Specify if the instrument is self-made, a
standardized instrument, or modified from another instrument. In column 3 provide an estimate of the time
required to collect the data (e.g. 2 weeks, 1 month); and in the fourth column provide a rough estimate of the
time frame when you will collect the data (e.g. April).
14. If you will need any resources from DoDEA, provide a brief description of what you will need. If you do
not need additional resources from DoDEA, enter “None” in this space.
15. If you are requesting data from DoDEA, such as assessment scores, enrollment information, demographic
information, etc. list specifically what data you are requesting. For each set of data, include the specific
variables you will need (i.e. NCEs, percentiles, etc.) and the date you will need each set of data. Please note that
you should allow sufficient time for DoDEA personnel to pull data, and DoDEA will not merge data from
different sets or conduct any analyses for individuals.
16. For each research question you listed in #11, describe the specific analysis that will be conducted to answer
the research question. Analyses such as “data will be examined” are not specific and will be returned to the
individual for clarification. Analyses should be in numbered format and should directly correspond to the
research questions listed in #11. For example, if you have three research questions listed you should have three
corresponding analysis. For quantitative analyses, you should list the independent and dependent variables, the
specific statistical test to be used (e.g. t-test, one-way ANOVA, etc.). For qualitative analysis, you should list
the source that will be used to answer the question (e.g. teacher interviews) and what specific qualitative
method(s) will be used to analyze the data. The analyses listed should be capable of answering the question,
appropriate for the data used, and methodologically sound.
17. To whom will your results be given or presented, and in what format. For example, “results will be
presented in the form of a final dissertation for University X.”
18. In accordance with DoD policy all individuals conducting research within DoD agencies are required to
complete annual training in the protection of human subjects. This requirement is fulfilled through completion
of the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Training. DoDEA is required to verify
that an individual has completed the CITI training before reviewing or approving research. This training must be
completed before submitting your proposal to DoDEA and must have been completed within one year of
submitting your proposal to DoDEA. To complete the CITI training:
Go to: https://www.citiprogram.org/
Click on “New Users, Register Here.”

Under Participating Institutions, select “Office of the Undersecretary of Defense (Personnel and
Readiness) and then click “submit.”
Establish your own username and password and click submit. You will then see a list of all the required
modules that must be completed.
You will be issued a certificate of completion which you should maintain for your records. This certificate
will automatically be forwarded to DoDEA; you will not need to include a copy with your application.
If you have completed the CITI training within the past year under an organization other than the Office of the
Undersecretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness), such as your university, enter the date of this completion
in #18 and under “Other” in #19 of the research request form, specify that you are including a copy of CITI
certification with your packet. You must include a copy of the certificate to receive credit. If you can not locate
or provide proof of completion, you must complete the training again.
19. Place a check by each of the items listed that you are including in your research request packet.
IRB board review (required)– review and clearance by your university IRB board is required in order for
research to be approved by DoDEA. You must include a copy of the approval letter from the IRB review. If
your IRB board requires approval from DoDEA before they will review your proposal, place a note in #19
indicating that you do not have IRB approval. In cases where applicants must obtain DoDEA approval in
order to submit to their IRB, DoDEA will issue a conditional letter of approval and will issue a final letter of
approval once IRB clearance from the applicant’s university is received.
Consent forms – you must obtain consent from all participants and must submit copies of all consent forms
that will be used. All major universities have established standardized consent forms, or your university
advisor can assist you.
Instruments – you must submit a copy of all instruments that will be used in your study, including survey
questions, interview questions, observation forms, rating scales, etc. If you are using survey or interview
questions that are copyrighted, you should also include permission from the author to use the documents.
Other – check if you are enclosing documents other than those listed and provide a brief description.
Form 2 - Research Agreement
Read the requirements for research in DoDEA, sign and date if you agree to abide by these requirements.
Form 3 - Research Endorsement
1. Enter your name (Last, first, and middle initial). This should be the same as #1 on the Research Study
Request.
2. Enter the full title of your proposed research as it will appear on official documents (e.g. dissertation,
thesis, etc.). This should be the same as #8 on the Research Study Request.
3. If you are conducting research under the supervision of a faculty or staff sponsor, such as for a thesis
or dissertation, your staff or faculty advisor (typically your academic advisor) should complete and sign.
If you are not conducting research under the direction or supervision of a staff or faculty advisor, you are
not required to complete #3, but should include your curriculum vita or biosketch.

Form 4 - Principal and Superintendent Consent Form
This form is required only for those individuals who are current DoDEA employees. Current DoDEA
employees must have consent from the principal(s) and District superintendents of the school(s) where the
research will be conducted. If the research will include data or participants from more than three schools
you do not need to complete this form, DoDEA will contact all involved principals and superintendents
for approval.

Form 5 – Restricted Data Use Agreement
DoDEA requires all requestors of DoDEA Restricted Data to complete the Restricted Data Use
Agreement as a condition to receiving Restricted Data from DoDEA. Restricted Data are documentation,
internal memoranda, reports or statistical information that contains personally identifiable information or
contains any fields or variables that can be combined with any other data to deduce any individual
identity. Personally Identifiable Information is any information about a person that identifies, is unique
to, or describes him or her, (e.g. social security number; age; military rank; civilian grade; race; other
demographic information, etc.) or information that can be used to distinguish an individual’s identity(e.g.
name, social security number, date of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc.).
On this form, all requestors of Restricted Use Data must:
1. Indicate the specific data being requested;
2. Indicate how the data will be used and reported;
3. Specify any other individual who will perform any function requiring access to or the use of
the Restricted data;
4. Identify a Custodian of the Restricted Data (i.e. superintendent, assistant superintendent,
dissertation committee chair, etc.), and
5. Sign and data the Restricted Use Data Agreement agreeing to be legally bound by the terms
and conditions of the Restricted Use Data Agreement.
Form 6 - Researcher Responsibilities Form
The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) requires all individuals conducting research within the
Department of Defense to read and complete this form acknowledging their responsibilities to protect the
rights and welfare of human subjects in research.