myCSUSM
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
IRB Overview
The role of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to review all proposed research by CSUSM faculty, students, and staff involving human subjects to ensure that research participants are treated ethically and that their rights and welfare are adequately protected.
A "human subject" means a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual or (2) identifiable private information. “Research” in the context of IRB is considered to be a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.
The IRB committee is composed primarily of faculty members from various disciplines and members from the community. The role of the IRB committee is to assure that research with human subjects is conducted in accordance with federal requirements and ethical principles. These principles require the balancing of risks to subjects against the scientific knowledge to be gained and the potential benefits to subjects and society.
All research activities involving the use of human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the IRB before data collection can begin. Investigators may not solicit subject participation or begin data collection until they have IRB approval. We recommend that you submit your IRB application at least 3 months before you plan to collect data.
IRB Submission Process:
- To submit new IRB application, create an account with the IRB submission portal IRBNet. All your communication with the IRB Office, and where you upload your research materials for review, will be through this system.
- All researchers engaged in Human Subjects research need to complete CITI training. Please upload your CITI completion certificate(s) to IRBNet for every package submitted, including continuing reviews and modifications, so that we can ensure your training is up-to-date.
- Complete and upload the appropriate IRB application form in IRBNet, along with your
CITI training(s) and all research-related supporting documentation. See the Application Forms page for more information.
- Supporting documentation can include:
- Consent Forms (for anyone who is 18 or older)
- Information Sheet
- Assent Forms (for anyone who is younger than 18)
- Letter of Support (if you are collecting data off campus, you need to provide a letter of support from that research site)
- Recruitment Script or Email
- Measures (e.g. interview questions, surveys, focus group questions)
- Verification of Translation Form (This form must be uploaded after the English version of the consent form has been reviewed and approved by the IRB Office for a language other than Spanish.)
- Reliance agreement, if applicable
- Supporting documentation can include:
- When you are ready to submit the IRBNet package, click the “Submit” button. Students
who are doing research as part of their master's thesis or dissertation are considered
as researcher (or principal investigator), and need to submit their own IRBNet package.
However, students must share their IRBNet package with their faculty advisor and get
their advisor’s electronic signature through IRBNet before submitting their application
to the IRB Office.
IRB submissions that are incomplete will not be reviewed and/or approved until all requirements are met. We will contact you if we need further documentation, modifications, or clarifications throughout the review process.