Blog

The recent AEA conference was—like it always is—a great excuse to catch up with friends, swap stories, and remember why we love this work. But underneath the good vibes, there’s been a growing whisper the past few years: AEA is struggling a bit.

When we say “start your IRB planning early,” we mean two things. First, give yourself enough time before your project launch to pull together a complete application and all the associated materials—your protocol, consent forms, recruitment language, and data management plan. This part is about logistics and avoiding last-minute scrambles.