The Harvard University Area IRB strives to review all studies completely and efficiently.
Harvard University Area Institutional Review Board
The review process involves a back and forth between the study team and the IRB Reviewer. When submitting the application, give yourself enough time to thoroughly address requested clarifications from the IRB Reviewer and any applicable ancillary reviews. Be sure to answer all questions in the ESTR SmartForm and IRB Template Protocol that pertain to your research. More complete answers can avoid back and forth between you and the IRB Reviewer.
You must list your Faculty Sponsor on the Study Team Member's page in ESTR if you are not eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator. Obtaining your Faculty Sponsor's assurance is the first step in the review process. Not listing your Faculty Sponsor can hold up review of your application.
When the Faculty Sponsor ancillary review has been triggered, they will get an email with a link to the application. The IRB Reviewer will also post step-by-step instructions in ESTR for how to complete the ancillary review. You may want to notify your faculty sponsor that this request is forthcoming.
One of the main reasons submissions are sent back to the researcher is missing documentation.
Our ESTR SmartForm pages clearly outline which documents should be uploaded into which SmartForm section. ESTR decides which document receives an “IRB Approved” stamp based on where it is uploaded. This is especially important with informed consent forms.
If a document is uploaded to the wrong section of the SmartForm, your IRB Reviewer will send the submission back for clarifications to request that the document be placed in the correct section.
Here is a guide to help you upload your documents in the correct SmartForm section in ESTR:
Basic Information | |
CUHS Protocol Template | |
Not Human Subjects Research Form | |
Study Team Members | |
Question 1 | Question 2 |
HUID Holders | HRP-220 for non-Harvard University Area study team members |
CITI certificates for non-Harvard University Area study team members | |
Consent Forms & Recruitment Materials | |
Consent Forms | |
Assent Forms | |
Recruitment Materials | |
Supporting Documents | |
Study Instruments | |
Interview Guides | |
Surveys | |
Any other applicable documents |
Tip: Several pages in ESTR have a list of Suggested Attachments. Take a quick look at these lists as you are completing the SmartForm to see if there is anything else you should upload
The Contacts Tab shows if a study team member's ethics training is complete.
Missing or Expired Certificates:
The PI must click the red “Submit” arrow in the menu on the left side of the screen to send the application to us. If the status of the application says “Pre-Submission” you have not yet submitted it. If it says “Pre-Review” it has been submitted and is in line to be reviewed (note that the application stays in this state during the review process, aside from when it is in “Clarifications Requested”).
The “Add Comment” feature can be used to communicate with your IRB Reviewer about anything you want them to be aware of. Please use this feature for questions about timelines, funding, CITI training, ancillary reviews, and any other questions.
Select “IRB Coordinator” in item 3 to make sure the comment is sent to your reviewer.