IRB: Help and Guidance

Videos and Educational Materials
View videos and related educational documents and handbooks to find out when submission of an IRB application is needed, the various review types and associated timelines, the roles of IRB team members, the ethical principals that inform IRB reviews, and topic-specific information.

Review Types and Timelines
See a quick overview of the various review types and timelines for approval.

Common Application Problems
Review a list of common problems we encounter with IRB submissions so that you will be better prepared for a smooth IRB process.

User Guides for Navigating IRB Mentor

The following user guides are required reading. Please take 15-20 minutes to read the user guides relevant to your submission type – reading this information prior to accessing the IRB Mentor system will save you time in the long run.

Initial Submission [pdf]
Outlines steps and guidance for creating a new protocol, submitting requested revisions, approval durations, and submitting study status check-ins.

Faculty Supervisors [pdf]
Provides information on how to navigate your review and acceptance of student submissions within IRB Mentor.

File Requirements [pdf]
Outlines required naming and formatting conventions for files uploaded to IRB Mentor as well as how to use Mentor’s organization and management features for files.

Post-Approval Study Status Check-ins or Continuing Reviews [pdf]
Provides information on approval durations and instructions for submitting either a study status check-in or a continuing review request (depending on the review type of the approved protocol).

Post-Approval Reporting: Modifications, Incident Reports, Deviations [pdf]
Provides information on how to navigate submission of modification requests, reporting of incidents and unanticipated problems, and reporting of study deviations/protocol violations.

External IRB Approval Registration and Reliance Agreements [pdf]
Provides navigation instructions for SJSU investigators who intend to rely on an external IRB approval for their research. Please also refer to our Collaborative and External Studies page for preliminary information so that you understand what is required to establish a reliance agreement between SJSU and the external reviewing IRB before initiating the process in IRB mentor.