The NASP Research Committee is responsible for reviewing all requests to conduct research with NASP members. The following requirements and procedures apply to requests for members' mailing labels, data from the NASP membership database, or other NASP data. Requests are considered during four annual review cycles. The deadlines for receipt of proposals are midnight EST/EDT September 1, December 1, March 1, and June 1. To protect NASP members from survey fatigue and to ensure a good response rate to official NASP research efforts, mailing labels and solicitations via email for surveys will be approved on a competitive basis. Additionally, NASP reserves the right to limit or delay external research soliciations via email as necessary. Due to the methodological weaknesses involved, requests to recruit NASP members for research participation via NASP Communities or electronic mailing lists will not be considered. Please note that NASP policy prohibits giving out the email addresses of its members and researchers may not collect participant email addresses without affirmative consent.

NASP allows proposals that solicit research participation via email. However, emails soliciting research participation typically yield a repsonse rate between 4% and 11%. Methods that increase response rates for survey research should be employed when attempting to recruit a larger sample. Any questions can be directed to Nick Affrunti, NASP Director of Research.

Requirements

1. The researcher who is making the request must be a member of NASP.
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 first page of any survey must be the consent form.
6. The research must not conflict with the NASP Strategic Plan or negatively impact participants. 

Procedures 

1. Submit a written request to the NASP Director of Research by one of the posted deadlines. 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. State whether the collected data will be anonymous or confidential, and describe plans to maintain the privacy of participants.
      6. Sample. Indicate size and characteristics (e.g., 1,000 randomly selected regular members). Note that 1,000 is the maximum size.
      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 Risks of Participation. Briefly describe any potential risks to participants and methods that will be used to minimize these risks.
      9. Whether research participant solicitation will occur via mailing labels or email.
      10. Potential Publication Outlets.
          
          
   2. Appendix of all surveys, questionnaires, and other instruments and an estimated time for their completion.
      
      
   3. All other forms to be used, including cover letter(s), consent forms, and postcards. If necessary, brief email text to solicit participation, including a direct link and/or QR code to the survey should be included (maximum 150 words). 
      
      
   4. Documentation of approval by your Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Participants (IRB).
      
      
   5. 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.
      
      
   6. 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 received by the deadline will be reviewed by the Research Committee and a response given within 60 days of the deadline. 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. Upon approval, researchers can purchase mailing labels from NASP's mailing list company or from the NASP office, depending upon the nature of the sample. Researchers receive a discount on mailing labels. Published research based on the use of the sample provided should include an acknowledgment of the role of NASP in making the research possible. For more information, please contact the NASP Director of Research by email.