Submission

Submitting Your Application through IRBNet

To submit a new IRB application, minor modification, or continuing review (also known as "renewal") to a currently approved IRB application, please use IRBNet. Each research project submitted to IRBNet is referred as a "package". 

Each submission requires:

• An application form
• Up-to-date CITI training for you, your faculty advisor (if you are a student researcher), and any co-PIs. Please see the CITI training page for instructions on what certificates are required.
• An electronic signature from your faculty advisor, if you are a student researcher
• Any documents you are using for your data collection, if applicable (consent/assent form, information sheet, survey, interview questions, flyers, recruitment email, letter of support from a research site, etc.)

Please read this IRBNet Picture Guide before submitting any IRB Applications. Incomplete submissions missing any of the above items will delay the review process. 

Once you upload all required documents to your package and ready to submit, you will click on "Sign this Package" (see the left sidebar). Once you sign the package, then you need to click on "Submit this Package" to actually submit the package to the IRB Office. If you are a student, you must click "Share this Project" and find your advisor's name from the list and share the package so they can sign the project as well. Your package will not be assigned to a reviewer until your package is signed by your advisor. 

**Applicants with documented disabilities who need alternatives to the use of IRBnet should contact the IRB Office (irb@csusm.edu) for individualized submission instructions.

How to Create a Subsequent Package to link to your previously approved package (for minor modifications or continuing full reviews)

For additional information, contact IRB Office via email at irb@csusm.edu or by phone to (760) 750-4066. 

Communication with IRB Office once You Submit Your Package:

All communications regarding your package and letters will be issued electronically through IRBNet. You will receive an email notification from IRBNet every time a letter/communication is issued to your package. It is your responsibility to login to the IRBNet and check what is posted on your package. Below is the list of communications/letters you will receive from the IRB Office:

IRB Office Letters	Description
Acknowledgement Letter	A letter posted by IRB Office within 1-3 business day to acknowledge the submission of the package. At this time, your package is under administrative review and then assigned to an IRB reviewer. You do not need to do anything until further notification.
Modification Required Letter	A letter posted by the assigned IRB reviewer to request clarifications and modifications from the researcher about the documents you submitted in your package. The IRB reviewer will "unlock" the package for the researcher to make and upload modifications. The researcher is responsible for making revisions to their documents, uploading new version of the documents, and deleting the old versions, when applicable. To respond to the modification required letter, the researcher must create a separate document responses to the reviewer's request and upload this document along with the changes made to other documents. The researcher must "lock" the package when done via the Designer page. The IRB reviewer can request additional modifications or clarifications if/when needed.
Recommendation Letter	If the IRB reviewer is satisfied with the researcher's responses to the request for modifications and there are no further changes necessary, they will assign a recommendation letter to let the researcher and IRB Office know that the package is ready for final approval by the IRB Office.
Approval Letter	The IRB Office will assign an Approval Letter within 1-3 business days to issue final approval. At this time, the researcher can begin their study and start data collection as approved per the application.