How to Submit a New IRB Protocol
IRBManager Submission
Cal Poly currently uses the IRBManager system to review protocols. Submissions must include the following documents:
- Completed IRBManager form
- Protocol
- Informed Consent Form
- Survey/Interview/Focus Group questions
- Recruitment materials
For detailed instructions on how to submit a new protocol in IRBManager, please review our IRBManager guide HERE.
Protocol Template
We have created a Protocol Template to assist researchers with their submissions. While the template is not required, it is strongly recommended that researchers use it in order to meet the necessary submission requirements.
Informed Consent Form Templates
The following Informed Consent Form templates are REQUIRED to be used when conducting human subjects research with Cal Poly. These templates follow a fill-in-the-blank format in which researchers should select the best text options and remove other options.
- Informed Consent Form (doc) -- use for most projects
- Parental Permission Form (doc) -- use for projects in which subjects are under 18 years of age in combination with the Child Assent Statement/Form
- Child Assent Statement/Form (doc) -- use for projects in which subjects are under 18 years of age and capable of providing their assent. The assent language should be provided in writing for older adolescents (age 15-17), verbally for those age 7-14; and the assent of younger children should be obtained to the extent that it is possible in a developmentally appropriate way. Assent statements can have many variations because of the different developmental and comprehension levels of the child subjects, and this template should be used as a general guideline.
Media Release Form
For projects that wish to collect recordings for use in the research and also wish to use recordings for promotions, websites, and other non-research purposes, the Human Subjects Media Release form should be used. This form allows participants to identify if recordings collected for research purposes may also be used for non-research purposes. It is very rare for the IRB to approve a project that requires all research participants to agree for their recordings to be used for non-research purposes.
Foreign Language Requirements
For projects that involve participants who speak a foreign language, the IRB requires the following in addition to the regular submission items:
- Description of qualifications of the individual(s) speaking to subjects in a foreign language and/or translating materials
- Informed Consent Form translated to desired language
- Survey/Interview/Focus Group questions translated to desired language
- Recruitment materials translated to desired language
