NASP officers and workgroups, as well as external partners engaged in advocacy efforts, may occasionally need access to data collected and maintained by NASP, such as information about approved graduate training programs, characteristics of NASP membership, or evaluation results from trainings or other programs conducted by NASP. Access to these data requires approval by the Research Committee.

Requirements

1. The researcher who is making the request must be a member of NASP, or, if the request is from an agent external to NASP, the research must obtain a written reference from a NASP officer or member of the Leadership Assembly.
2. The researcher must provide evidence of having met federal standards regarding research with human participants by submitting documentation of approval by their Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Participants (IRB).
3. The research must make a contribution to NASP, the field, or relevant constituencies.
4. The research must be conducted in accordance with well-established research methods.
5. The research must not conflict with the NASP Strategic Plan or negatively impact participants.
6. The researcher must agree that NASP will be credited as the data source in any published or disseminated report of study results, and, if an agent external to NASP, must acknowledge (via written agreement) NASP ownership of the data. 

Procedures 

1. Submit a written request to the NASP Director of Research. The request must include the following information:
   
   
   1. Brief research proposal. Provide the following information, using these section headings. Sections c through j should not exceed 500 words.
      
      
      1. Title of Investigation.
      2. Principal Investigators. Provide your name, affiliation, and complete contact information. Identify the lead researcher, and provide his or her affiliation and complete contact information. If the research is a student thesis or dissertation, provide the name, university affiliation, and complete contact information of the faculty advisor. Provide the names and affiliations of all other research team members.
      3. Purpose of the Research. Describe briefly.
      4. Research Questions. List each question. Be specific.
      5. Methods. Describe the study methods concisely, including the specific data being requested from NASP, as well as any procedures for the collection and use of data other than NASP data.
      6. Planned Analyses of Data. Describe how data will be analyzed to answer the specified research questions.
      7. Benefits of the Research. Briefly describe the likely benefit to the profession of school psychology and/or those who are served by it.
      8. Potential Publication Outlets or Plan for Use and Dissemination of Results.
         
         
   2. Documentation of approval by your Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Participants (IRB).
      
      
   3. Signed Memorandum of Agreement. This form must be signed by the NASP member making the request. If you are not the lead researcher, he or she must also sign this form. If this research is a student's thesis or dissertation, both the student and faculty advisor must sign the form.
      
      
   4. Signed Faculty Advisor's Approval form. This form must be signed by the student's faculty advisor to certify that he or she has read and approved the documents submitted by the student.
      
      
2. Submit all items by email as a single PDF attachment. One document in Word is also acceptable, although PDF is preferred. If those options are not possible or they would create an undue hardship, some or all of the documents may be sent by fax or U.S. Mail. Submit the documents to the NASP Director of Research (contact information is presented below). When all required documents have been received, they will be forwarded to the chair of the Research Committee and distributed to committee members for review.

Nicholas W. Affrunti, PhD 
Director of Research 
National Association of School Psychologists
4340 East West Highway, Suite 402
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 301-657-0270
Direct line: 301-347-1646
Fax: 301-657-0275
naffrunti@naspweb.org 

Requests will be reviewed by the Research Committee and a response given within 60 days. The request will be denied, approved, or approved pending receipt of revisions. In the case of a denied request, the Research Committee will provide a written explanation for its decision. See the Review Criteria and tips for writing a successful proposal. If revisions are needed, the revised proposal must be resubmitted within 30 days. For more information, please contact the NASP Director of Research by email.