Federal regulations require institutions to retain records of IRB activities and certain other records frequently held by investigators for at least three years after completion of the research.
Study documents, such as signed consent forms and completed surveys, may be preserved in hardcopy, electronic, or other media form and must be accessible for inspection and copying by the IRB and authorized representatives of the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). If an investigator who is responsible for retaining these records leaves OSU, the investigator and their Department Head (not the IRB) should identify the successor responsible for maintaining those institutional records.
Please also see the IRB Data Security Guidance for additional information related to the storage and transfer of data.