ARROW (Application Review for Research Oversight at Wisconsin) is the online system for submission and review of IRB applications used by the IRB at UW-Madison.

To log in to ARROW, go to http://irb.arrow.wisc.edu and log in using your NetID and password.

The IRB Staff (IRBS) workspace is the central workspace for managing the submissions you own/have been assigned to. To assist with navigating the IRBS workspace, as well as the ARROW workspace in general, the screenshot and information below highlight key areas.

1. My Home: Each ARROW user has a personal workspace. The personal workspace is used to navigate between system roles, as well as allow easy navigation to specific IRB applications.
2. My Roles*: Your current role appears under My Roles. While most staff will use the IRBS role, some staff may have other roles such as IRBD (IRB Director) or IRBSM (IRB Submission Manager). Choose the desired role from the drop-down menu under My Roles to change roles in the system. Be sure to select the correct role since different activities are available to users based on their role.
   1. IRBD: This role is typically limited to leadership in the IRB Office but is nearly identical to the IRBS role.
   2. IRBSM: This role is typically limited to the submission manager(s) in the office as well as those who help with triaging submissions.
   *All staff have the Study Team Member role. The ARROW server relies on everyone having that role. However, staff will not need to use this role.
3. IRB: This allows you to search and view all in progress, approved, and archived IRB submissions regardless of owner.
4. Committees and Boards: This lists all committees & boards currently defined in the site that you have permission to view.
5. My Inbox: This shows all the submissions currently under review and that you are owner of.
6. IRs, CPs, CRs, REs: Use the Initials (IRs), Changes (CPs), Continuing Reviews (CRs), and Reportable Event (REs) tabs to see all submissions YOU own. You can search/filter by various criteria such as ID # or PI (last name).
7. Upcoming Meetings: This shows all upcoming HS and MRR IRB meetings.
8. Filter by: This allows you to search/filter by various criteria such as ID # or PI (last name).

This section describes the procedures to be followed within the IRBs Office for using the Log Private Comments activity in ARROW.

1. How the Log Private Comment activity functions:
   1. All private comments appear in chronological order in the History tab for each individual submission. Please note that private comments created within a project workspace will not automatically appear in the main study workspace.
   2. Private comments also are compiled in the Notes tab for each submission. The Notes tab serves as the way for IRB staff to make notes to a study file and to communicate relevant information to other IRB staff who may be reviewing the study in future.
   3. Private comments are NOT visible to the study team, consultants, or scientific or ancillary committees. Private comments are visible to all IRB staff and IRB members.
2. When the Notes tab should be reviewed: Whenever an IRBS reviews a submission of any type, he/she should review the Notes tab in the main study workspace to check for any information pertinent to the submission being reviewed.
3. Guidelines for the Content of the Log Private Comments activity form: Since the text for private comments appears permanently in a submission’s history and cannot be removed or edited, IRB staff are encouraged to exercise care and should adhere to the following guidelines to ensure that private comments work as effectively as possible:
   
   1. Keep the comment brief: The full text of the private comment will appear in the history, so lengthy comments are discouraged, unless the comment is serving as a note to file.
   2. Provide a clear label for uploaded documents: When using a private comment to upload a document, label it clearly for ease of future reference. For example:
      1. Email correspondence (date) from study team regarding funding
4. Examples for what should NOT be Private Comments:
   1. Notes from IRBS to themselves: Do not use private comments to make notes to yourself. Please use the Staff Note activity to make notes to yourself.
   2. Notes to or from IRB members: Notes to or from IRB members will usually be logged via other activities (PRS reviewer notes, checklists) and should typically not be logged as private comments.
   3. Notes to or from consultants: Notes to or from consultants will be tracked via the Consultant activity forms and should not be logged as private comments.
   4. Documenting information regarding administrative holds: Information regarding administrative holds should be documented within the activity forms directly related to the administrative hold (e.g., recording the meeting decision, editing the letter) and not as a private comment.
   5. Random documents or information: If you are unsure where to upload a document or log information in ARROW, or you are not the owner of that particular study, please ask an ARROW specialist or IRBD first before logging a private comment.
5. Examples for the Log Private Comment activity:
   1. Suggesting IRB member reviewers: The log private comment activity should be used by IRBS to suggest primary reviewers for the IRB meeting. This also should include requests to have the prisoner representative review the study, when applicable. IRBS should NOT use the comment box in the Schedule for IRB Meeting activity form to suggest reviewers, as this information is viewable by study teams.
   2. Logging Notes for Other IRB Staff: The private comment activity should be used in the main study workspace by IRBS to leave notes that will be helpful for other IRB staff who may review the study in future. Examples include:
      1. Noting that the study’s review period was changed from 12 to 6 months, or vice versa.
      2. Noting that, per a change of protocol, the study is now federally funded.
   3. Resolving a previous Private Comment: In the event IRB staff resolve issues noted in an existing private comment, another private comment should be logged indicating which comment was resolved and by what action (e.g., CP003 addressed Jessie’s comment about a forthcoming change related to RE002).
   4. Writing Notes to File: Occasionally, additional documentation or clarification may be needed that is not captured elsewhere or which is sufficiently complex and/or important that a separate note to file is warranted. Example of such a note would include noting discussions with the study team or legal counsel that clarify the status or future course of action regarding a particular issue.

See Working with Reviewer Notes.

1. How does the Staff Note activity work? IRB staff can use the Staff Note activity to place a brief note about a particular submission in their personal workspace in ARROW. Staff notes are NOT visible to the study team, consultants, or scientific or ancillary committees. Staff notes are visible to all IRB staff and IRB members. Staff notes are not logged in the history or notes tab. Only 1 staff note can be left for a submission at any given time.
2. Who can use the Staff Note activity? The IRB staff reviewer (IRBS) assigned to a particular submission can use the Staff Note activity to log a note to him/herself.
3. When should the Staff Note activity be used? The Staff Note activity has been added to ARROW at the request of several IRBS to assist them in keeping track of submissions and prioritizations within their personal workspaces. As a result, IRBS/IRBD can use the Staff Note activity at his/her discretion. Possible uses for the Staff Note include:
   • Assigning prioritization order to a submission
   • Noting whether a submission is new to your inbox or a response from a study team to pre-review issues
   • Indicating whether a pre-review is on hold pending consultation with an IRBD, legal, etc.
   IRB staff should keep in mind that the staff notes field is quite small, hence notes will need to be brief to be useful.
4. When should the Staff Note activity NOT be used? The Staff Note activity should be used by an IRBS only to leave notes to him/herself. The Staff Note activity does not replace the Log Private Comment activity and should not be used to log anything substantive relating to a submission or to communicate information to other IRB staff.
5. When and how should a Staff Note be removed? Staff notes are designed to assist IRBS with managing their review load and are not a permanent part of the study “file” in ARROW. As such, any text in the staff note field must be deleted by the assigned IRBS before a submission is approved or otherwise completed. Staff note text can be deleted by clicking on the Staff Note activity and deleting any text in the note field, then clicking OK.

• Bold text: <strong>text</strong>
• Italicize text: <em>text</em>
• Underline text: <u>text</u>
• Add a hyperlink: <a href="web address">text</a>

See States/Timers in ARROW.