Frequently Asked Questions
- I am a student, (PhD candidate, undergraduate) and I cannot access WebKit. What do I need to do?
- The key personnel have completed human subjects training; but WebKit is not showing it, and the database won't let me add their training date.
- My sponsor is not on your list of sponsors.
- My project is very complicated. I can't get all the detail necessary in within the word limits set by WebKit.
- I filled out everything yesterday, but now when I log in, the WebKit is not showing that I have a protocol pending submission.
- I have everything completed in WebKit, but it won't let me submit.
- My student filled out everything yesterday and I can see it, but the student who entered the data cannot access it.
- I have a questionnaire/survey, but the link under the documents tab is not active.
- I have multiple consent forms, but there is only one link.
- My protocol was approved and I got the approval notice, but no consent form.
- Why didn't all of the Co-Investigators get the Notice of Action from the IRB?
- I can't decide if my research qualifies for exempt or expedited review.
- What needs to be on a consent form?
I am a student, (PhD candidate, undergraduate) and I cannot access WebKit. What do I need to do?
Only faculty are "automatically" in the WebKit database. While the PI can add key personnel to the database, it is best to call our office and asked to be added so that all the necessary information gets entered.
The key personnel have completed human subjects training; but WebKit is not showing it, and the database won't let me add their training date.
If the human subjects protection training was just completed, you must wait 24 hours for the database to update WebKit. Make sure that you include a SSN and/or Net ID information for any key personnel that you add. This information is used to connect the personnel in WebKit with those that have completed the human subjects protection training. This is the same for investigators from other campuses and/or institutions. The training date may need to be added manually by IRB Staff. If the training was done at another institution and/or under another name, the IRB office will manually add the date after verifying that the training was completed.
My sponsor is not on your list of sponsors.
Possibly, but often it just takes a thorough search. Sponsors are entered in a lot of different formats and it sometimes just takes a hunt (i.e.--USDA, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, and U.S.)
My project is very complicated. I can't get all the detail necessary in within the word limits set by WebKit.
The IRB wants your research described in layman's terms, without a lot of scientific jargon. Describe your research as if you were talking to an 8th grade classroom. Please do not cut and paste information from a grant application.
I filled out everything yesterday, but now when I log in, the WebKit is not showing that I have a protocol pending submission OR I have everything completed in WebKit, but it won't let me submit.
The most common cause of this is that you have created “2” of you! If you change any personal information about the PI without clicking on “edit person”, WebKit creates a “new” person with those changes added. So when you log into WebKit to find your protocols, they are now attributed to that “new” person, who has the same NetID and password as you do. The only fix is to contact our office to “delete” the duplicate. Caution must be taken to make sure that the right one is deleted or any other protocols associated with that PI could also be deleted.
My student filled out everything yesterday and I can see it, but the student who entered the data cannot access it.
The PI must click on the "security" tab and give the student and/or co-investigators security clearance so that they can have access to edit, and/or make changes to the protocol. Please note, only the Principal Investigator can submit the protocol online.
I have a questionnaire/survey, but the link under the documents tab is not active.
That link is activated if you check "Yes" to the question: Will any of the following be used: questionnaires, surveys, etc… Make sure that you answered “yes” to that question.
I have multiple consent forms, but there is only one link.
At the current time, all consent and assent forms must be loaded as one document. There are instructions in WebKit on how to do this.
My protocol was approved and I got the approval notice, but no consent form.
Stamped consent forms are available in Webkit. Log in to WebKit, open the protocol and on the left side menu of the page is a link: "View Approved Consent". The stamped consent form can be accessed there.
Why didn't all of the Co-Investigators get the Notice of Action from the IRB?
The notices are sent to the PI, the FIRST Co-Investigator listed, and the Point of Contact.
I can't decide if my research qualifies for exempt or expedited review.
While the researcher indicates on the application which type of review they feel the application should get, it is the IRB office that determines whether or not a protocol is exempt, expedited or needs full review. Submit the protocol with the review type you feel it fits best, but know that is not necessarily the type of review it will receive.
What needs to be on a consent form?
While the IRB does not require a particular format for consent forms, all elements of informed consent must be included. The IRB strongly recommends that researchers use the Consent Form Wizard to draft their consent. The researcher answers some basic questions about the research, and the Wizard creates a consent form that contains all of the required elements of consent. However, the researcher should still proof-read, spell check and edit the consent form before submitting.
If you are writing a consent form for parents to consent for their child’s participation, you will have to edit the form generated by the Consent Form Wizard so that participation concerns “your child” rather than “you.”