IRB Insider
Education and Social/Behavioral Science Institutional Review Board (ED/SBS IRB) Newsletter, IRB Insider / Volume 8, Issue 2, January 2020
Revised Common Rule Single IRB Requirement Now in Effect
As of January 20th, the revised Common Rule’s single IRB review requirement is effective. This means that all federally-funded, non-exempt studies MUST be reviewed by a single IRB. Researchers seeking federal funding for studies involving multiple sites or external personnel are encouraged to contact the Reliance and Navigation Team (irbreliance@wisc.edu) for assistance in determining whether the single IRB requirement applies to their study and, if so, which IRB is the best option for their study.
February ARROW Update
ARROW will be updated at the end of February with a significant update:
- Self-service personnel updates will replace the current personnel change process. This will be applied across all application types (e.g., exemptions, ceded, and regular applications. (Changes in PI will still need to be submitted as a change of protocol.)
More information about this update will be forthcoming in February. If you have any questions about this or other ARROW changes, please email arrow-help@mailplus.wisc.edu.
Coming Soon: Revamped Consent Form Wizard
As many ED/SBS researchers know, the Consent Form Wizard is a tool to help ensure all federally required elements of consent are included. The Wizard currently runs on a very old platform and has been in need of updating for some time now. The ED/SBS IRB Office is working with IT to update the Wizard to be more user friendly and is scheduled to go live at the end of February. An announcement will be sent when the updated Consent Form Wizard is available. Researchers will now have to log-in with their NetID to access the Wizard. This provides more security and allows more features to be available in the Wizard. Please note, the Wizard should only be used by researchers submitting to the ED/SBS IRB. If researchers are submitting to the Health Sciences IRB or Minimal Risk IRB, their consent templates, available on their website, need to be used.
Reminder: Reliance and Navigation Team (RELIANT)
As mentioned in our Fall newsletter, in cooperation with the ED/SBS IRB Office, IRB reliance services are being centralized under RELIANT, a team of reliance experts, to provide a single point of contact for all researchers on campus seeking assistance with reliance arrangements and questions. If you have reliance related questions about your study, please contact contact RELIANT (irbreliance@wisc.edu) for help.
The ED/SBS IRB office offers workshops throughout the year that are open to all faculty, staff and students. The following workshops are planned for the Spring 2020 semester:
- Considerations for Qualitative Research, Research with Minors, and Research involving Technology: This session will focus on additional considerations for performing qualitative research, research with minors, research involving technology and other unique research areas.
- International Research & Summer Projects: This session addresses issues unique to international research, travel, and other summer projects.
- Lathrop Hall Room B137I Have IRB Approval - Now What?: Interaction with the IRB does not end after obtaining initial approval for your project. This session explores the complete life-cycle of a human subjects research project after IRB approval, including: Changes, Continuing Review, Reportable Events, Study Completion, Data Storage, and Potential AuditsApril 2, 2020 @ 10-11am
Register here
- Introduction to Statistics for Everyday Use in Research
This course will provide general information on “statistics” for everyday use either in the planning of a study or for a manuscript. The word “statistics”, although technical in nature and requires numerical calculations, is often useless without consideration to non-statistical factors such as study design, feasibility of recruitment and sample sizes. This course will offer insight on how to write statistical plans for grants/proposals and manuscripts that incorporates these important pieces.
Topics include:
--Introduction to statistical plans for grants and proposals
--Importance of study design, sample sizes, and power
--When and how to randomize
--Differences between qualitative and quantitative data
--Common statistical tests that are often used in research (descriptive statistics versus regression models)
--Common statistical analysis software and which are recommended
After attending this course, attendees will be able to:
--Clearly communicate how to select a study design and how to apply it for grants/proposal of manuscript writing
--Learn how to calculate sample sizes and power
--Learn how to use the most common statistical tests in their everyday roles
--Identify statistical software fit for the role or research area
Whether you have questions about a specific protocol, have general questions, or need help getting started, there are many ways to contact the ED/SBS IRB office.
- For questions regarding a specific protocol, contact the assigned Staff Reviewer. Instructions for identifying the Staff Reviewer are located here.
- Drop-in hours are every Wednesday from 2:00-3:00 p.m. and Thursday from 10:00-11:00 a.m. The IRB staff are located on the 3rd floor of Lathrop Hall (take the west elevator or stairs).
- IRB staff have 12-month appointments and are available for meetings/consults year-round. Individual appointments can be scheduled throughout the week. Contact an IRB staff member to schedule an appointment. Contact information is available here.
- For questions about ARROW, email arrow-help@mailplus.wisc.edu.
- To schedule an Outreach Session for your class, department, or group to learn more about the IRB, visit the IRB Workshops & Outreach page of our website.
- The ED/SBS IRB Office KnowledgeBase is a great resource for researchers and includes FAQs, guidance documents, information for new researchers, and much more!