Resources for Answering Study Team Questions
The Institutional Review Board website is an excellent resource for answering questions. Often, study teams will not have reviewed the pertinent resources on a topic prior to seeking assistance. Referring study teams to the website, toolkit, or Investigator Manual and offering to answer additional questions can be helpful.
Referrals
If you are unable to gather the information needed to answer the question, some special topics can sometimes be referred to other individuals with particular expertise, either within the IRBs Office (see Internal Expert POCs) or external to the office:
Topic |
Resource |
|---|---|
| Reportable Events questions |
Gather some general information to try to determine whether the event seems to constitute noncompliance, an unanticipated problem or new information. Refer the person to Reportable Events for guidance. |
|
Change of Protocol or Continuing Review questions |
Refer the person to the Investigator Manual section on Changes of Protocol or Continuing Reviews. |
| Reliance questions |
Should be referred to the IRB Reliance Team (RELIANT, irbreliance@wisc.edu) if the Multi-Site Triage Flowchart indicates that's appropriate |
| Fee/Funding questions | Should be referred to the Office Administrator. |
| Participant complaints |
Should be referred to an IRBD in all cases (IRBdirector@hsirb.wisc.edu). |
| ARROW questions |
Questions that cannot be resolved should be referred to askarrow@hsirb.wisc.edu. Send an email describing the issue and cc the researcher if possible. |
| CITI training questions |
Should be referred to the Office of Research Compliance (citisupport@research.wisc.edu, 608-262-1703), unless it’s a very basic question that can be answered using training information provided on the IRB website. |
| NetID questions |
Refer the person to the ARROW Access guidance. If the person is requesting a status update on a submitting NetID application, refer them to the RELIANT. |
| Administrative ARROW access for specific studies (e.g. auditing) or specific purpose (e.g. Honest Broker for Department of Medicine) |
Forward these requests directly to the Director of the Office of Research Compliance. |
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I obtain/share samples from one study to another?
Refer them to Data and Specimen Sharing. - I'm in ARROW but I don't see the option I'm looking for (e.g., how/where to find the modified application, when completing a change).
The first step is to obtain additional information from the person to determine what workspace they are in. The personal workspace for a study team member looks like this:
Please note that there are two areas in the workspace – My Inbox (lists submissions in progress) and My Research (with two tabs, Approved and Archived, and lists previously reviewed/approved submissions).
In contrast, a protocol workspace for a particular study looks like this:
Check what state the particular study is in (e.g. Issues pending, Approved, Pre-Review). This can be found in the upper left-hand corner. Next, assess whether there are outstanding submissions for that particular study that may not allow for the option they think should be present.
Referring study teams to the ARROW Help page may be useful, but if upon gathering additional information, it becomes clear that there may be a technical issue to address, request they send an email to askarrow@hsirb.wisc.edu outlining the situation. -
Why can't I find someone I am trying to add to a study in ARROW?
The first time that someone is added to a study their NetID needs to be registered in ARROW. Refer them to the guidance What if I can’t find someone in ARROW?. -
Why can’t I find a study that I am looking for in ARROW?
Start at the tan bar at the top of the page in ARROW. Click “IRB” and then the “Site Manager” tab. This tab will allow access to all applications in ARROW without specifying initial review, etc. If they know the IRB#, the PI, (part of) the title, use ID, PI, or Name, respectively, in the filter function to locate the application.Check to see if they are not listed as a study team member. If not, suggest that the PI or a point of contact for the study team update personnel. -
Why can't I submit this change of protocol or continuing review application?
If the individual cannot submit material in ARROW, it is probably because they are not listed as a Point of Contact. Tell them that they will need to have a Point of Contact update personnel to add them to the protocol to obtain submission privileges. -
I submitted a study (or change) in ARROW but need to make changes. Can you send it back?
If the study or change is already assigned to a staff member, then email that person to have them send the study back to the study team. If the study is unassigned, contact the IRBSM to have the study sent back to the study team. If a change is unassigned, contact IRBSM to have the change returned. Do not take ownership of the item. -
I am a researcher external to the UW-Madison and would like to send a survey to your students/faculty/staff. Can I get contact information?
Forward the email to IRBD to ensure the best practices for handling this type of request.