The Review Procedure
All applications are to be submitted via IRBNet.org. It is the responsibility of the researcher to submit the application and supporting documentation in its entirety to the IRB as follows (all forms are available from the MyAlvernia portal of the Alvernia University website:
- The Research Determination Tool indicating the level of review anticipated by the research team.
- Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certifications for all primary and co-investigators. Certificates required are the Social & Behavioral Researcher Basic (for first time researchers) or Refresher (for expired certifications) OR Biomedical Research Basic/Refresher; Social & Behavior OR Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research, Conflict of Interest, and Information, Privacy, Security.
- The IRB Application, which must be signed by the primary investigator and the faculty advisor/dissertation chair.
- A copy of the Informed Consent Form that you will provide to participants
- If required, copies of Assent Forms and/or organizational/institutional authorizations
- The Participant Packet that includes all information that will be shared with participants, including procedures for debriefing.
- Any questionnaires, tests, written material, software, etc. that you will use to collect data during this study.
1. Submit your completed proposal with all attachments to IRBNet.org. Refer to the IRBNet User’s Guide for detailed instructions for registering with IRBNet, New Project Submissions, and Instructions for Submitting a Subsequent Package in a Project. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from August 15 to May 15. Failure to submit proposals in a timely manner may delay academic progress.
2. Upon determination that proposal is complete, the IRB will inform the researcher and advisor of the proposal’s anticipated review path: either expedited or full review. Incomplete proposals will be returned to the researcher.
3. IRB committee will review all full review proposals and will decide whether the project is: Fully Approved, Conditionally Approved, Disapproved, or Incomplete. Expedited proposals will be reviewed by a two members of the IRB.
4. After the IRB has made a project decision, the researcher and advisor will receive a notification via email within one week concerning the status of the proposal. (Please consult with your advisor.)
5. Those individuals with approved proposals may begin research upon receipt of approval.
6. Those individuals granted conditional approval MUST meet the terms of conditions as denoted in the written notification and receive notification of full approval by the IRB PRIOR to beginning research.
7. Proposals that are disapproved may NOT be initiated. No persons may overturn the IRB decision regarding the disapproval of the study.
8. If your proposal is approved, you will be required to submit a Progress Report to the IRB on your activity at the conclusion of your study, or at the 1-year anniversary of the Initial Approval date. Failure to complete the Progress Report may result in sanctions (for example, an incomplete for the course or inability to obtain an academic transcript). A copy of the Study Completion/Continuing Review Form is available here.
9. The IRB will conduct audits of randomly selected research projects.
Researchers may wish to consult the following websites for information about national guidelines on human participant research.
Members of Alvernia’s IRB Committee are available for consultation. Approval of the research by the IRB Committee does not absolve the researcher(s) from the responsibility to engage in ethical research, respecting the rights of participants.
