IRB Proposal Submission Guidelines

Guidelines

Please review the IRB proposal categories to determine what type of proposal you should prepare and submit.
 

Before submitting, please ensure you have thoroughly reviewed and followed the guidelines for creating a proposal.
 

Requesting Exemption Status

If you think the Review Board might decide your project is exempt from review, please submit your request to irb_exempt@colgate.edu.

The request should include:

1. a project title
2. a description of the research
3. the methodology to be used
4. the participant population
5. the data to be collected
6. the name of your faculty supervisor (if applicable)
7. explicitly state which of the three exemptions on the Proposal Categories page apply to your research

Expedited and Full-Review Proposals

Expedited and full-review proposals can be submitted online for review following the steps outlined below:

1. To access the submission website, you will first be prompted to log in using your Colgate network username and password (i.e., the same username and password you use to log on to Colgate’s Portal).
   
   Log in to submission site
2. Once logged in, click the “Submit a Proposal” link to begin the submission process. You will also see a list of proposals that you have submitted in the past. The list will be empty if you have not previously submitted a proposal using the submission site.
3. After beginning the submission process you will be brought to the proposal cover sheet page. On this page, you will be asked for general information pertaining to your proposed study. All fields must be completed before you will be allowed to advance to the proposal page. This cover sheet will requesting information such as:
   1. Title
   2. Number of participants
   3. Type of proposal
   4. Investigators involved
   5. Faculty supervisors
   6. Investigator contact information
4. Bear in mind the following with regard to the cover sheet page:
   1. Anticipated number of participants: Ethics require that both risks and benefits be distributed across participant groups in an equitable manner. That is, it is not appropriate for one group (e.g., males) to be exclusively exposed to the risks of research or, conversely, to be the sole beneficiaries of research. If the number of males and females (or other demographic variables) are not equal, please justify the inequality in your proposal.
   2. All researchers are expected to have read and agree to uphold the ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human research participants as they are described in the Belmont Report issued by the Federal Office of Health, Education & Welfare.
      
      Review the Belmont Report
       
5. Once you have advanced to the proposal page, simply copy and paste your responses to each of the sections into the appropriate fields. Descriptions and guidelines for each of these fields are provided in the IRB proposal creation guidelines. If you prefer, you may simply type the text of each section into the appropriate field. All fields must be completed to submit your proposal.
6. At the bottom of the proposal page, you will see a prompt to upload your consent form. Select the “Browse” button to locate the document on your computer. Please note that unless Colgate’s IRB has waived the consent form for your proposed project, you must upload a consent form for your study.
   1. If your proposal requires additional supporting documentation (e.g., debriefing form, questionnaires, etc.), select the “Upload Additional Documents” button to upload those documents.
7. Select “Submit Proposal” after completing steps 1-5. If you encounter any difficulties with the submission site, please contact the IRB Chair at irb_chair@colgate.edu.

Revise a Previously Submitted Proposal

If Colgate’s IRB has asked that you revise your proposal before it can be accepted, you can make the requested changes by completing the following steps.

1. Log in to the proposal submission site.
2. Once logged in you will see all of your previously submitted proposals. Select the proposal title that has a current status of “revise.”
3. If something has changed pertaining to your cover sheet information, make those changes and click “change.” Otherwise, scroll down to the proposal section.
4. If you were asked to revise any of the four proposal sections, copy and paste the revised sections into the appropriate fields. Alternatively, you may edit the text in the appropriate fields. Otherwise, scroll down to the consent form upload box.
5. If you were asked to revise your consent form, click “Replace or Delete” and upload your revised consent form. Repeat this step if you must revise any supporting documentation (e.g., debriefing form, questionnaires, etc.) using the “Upload Additional Documents” button.
6. Click “Submit Proposal” after completing the steps above pertaining to your revision.

Please contact the IRB Chair at irb_chair@colgate.edu if you have any questions about your submission. If you have technical difficulties with the submission site, please contact the PBSC Technology Specialist, Timothy Collett, at tcollett@colgate.edu.