Instructions for Submitting a Research Proposal for NYPD Review

Prior to submitting a research proposal to the NYPD for review, the researcher must obtain a letter of support from all organizations affected by the project. The NYPD will not review any proposal that involves any case data from an agency other than NYPD unless it is accompanied by a final letter of approval from the agency responsible for those data. If the NYPD requires that certain changes be made to the proposal or additional information provided, those revisions or additions must be completed and approved by the NYPD.

The submission to the NYPD should include the following:

• Name, title, and affiliation of the researcher(s);
• Contact information for the researcher(s) including mailing address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address;
• Vitae for all persons working on research project;
• Information on whether the research is supported by federal funds, including a statement of the specific Federal agency funding the project, and if applicable, documentation of any assurance(s) filed or granted;
• Letter of approval from a certified Institutional Review Board, if required;
• Letters of approval from all involved organizations (see above);
• Clear statement of the purpose of the research;
• Explanation of the relevance of the research to the NYPD mission and expected contribution to the field of study;
• Thorough and comprehensive literature review;
• Delineation of the specific research questions to be addressed;
• Detailed description of the research design;
• Discussion of sampling approach and selection procedures;
• Description of kinds of data to be collected;
• Specification of sources of data and data collection procedures to be used in the research project;
• Copies of all data collection instruments;
• Description of the analytic approach to be used;
• Procedures to protect confidentiality of respondents including a description of any circumstances which would require identifying the respondent;
• Informed consent procedures for subjects and parent/guardian if subject is under age 18 along with copies of all written informed consent forms (see additional instructions later in this document);
• A discussion of the risks and benefits of the research to the subjects and any remediation protocols;
• A data security plan in compliance with the detailed requirements specified by the NYPD;
• Plans for reporting the results to ensure that data are presented only in aggregate form or so as to prevent the identification of any particular individual;
• Possible impacts on the NYPD and associated operations;
• Detailed timeline of research activities showing the location and person(s) responsible for completing each task; and
• A one-page abstract summarizing the proposal.