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Proposal Format / Assent / Informed Consent / Forms

Proposal Format  

Each proposal must include the following (please use one of the templates at the bottom of this page for your IRB submission):  

  • A clear and concise statement of the research hypothesis or hypotheses, written in terms that are understandable to non-scientist members of the IRB.
  •  The purpose of the project
  • A full description of all procedures
  • A description of the subject population, including the gender and racial/ethnic composition, and criteria for the inclusion or exclusion of any sub-population. This provision is meant to assure that the benefits and burdens of research are distributed equitably.  For many research projects, the “subject population” will be all Wabash students, from which some sample will be recruited for the experiment.  Statistics on the race and ethnicity of the Wabash student body are available from the Institutional Research Office.  If the subject population is to be more narrowly defined, investigators should provide a scientific justification for including or excluding any sub-population on campus.  Studies of populations outside the College setting will require diversity data from other sources.
  • A description of the means by which subjects will be recruited.
  • A discussion of any and all risks to subjects, how any such risks will be minimized (include copies of all survey instruments, consent forms (for subjects 18 years and older), assent forms (for subjects under 18 years of age), recruitment flyers, sample recruitment letters and advertisements). Complete details about proposal components for each level of review are provided on the forms for each category of review.


NOTE:  When departments or Principal Investigators repeatedly use standardized protocols for recruiting subjects, they can save time by submitting in advance for IRB review/approval a generic recruitment protocol.  Once accepted by the IRB, the protocol can be simply referenced in an investigator’s IRB application—as long as the same protocol is to be implemented exactly as written.

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Guidelines for Informed Consent

This page summarizes the guidelines for properly obtaining informed consent from research participants. (see Sample Consent Form).

Components of Informed Consent (Please use either the in-person or the online consent form template at the bottom of this page.)

Participants must have sufficient information to make an informed decision to participate in the research study. If participants cannot give informed consent, it must be obtained from their legal representatives. For example, when participants are minors (under 18 years old) or when they are mentally incapacitated, the consent of legal representatives is required.  

Consent documents must be clearly written and understandable to participants. The consent form should include language that is non-technical.  Scientific, technical, or medical terms should be plainly defined.

The required components of an informed consent document include the following:

  • A statement that this is a Wabash College research project.
  • An explanation of the purposes of the research.
  • The expected duration of the subject’s participation.
  • The anticipated number of subjects participating in the study.
  • A detailed description of the procedures to be followed.
  • A description of any foreseeable risks or discomforts to the subject.
  • A description of any benefits to the subject or to others (society, student learning) that may reasonably be expected from the research.
  • A statement regarding anonymity or confidentiality.  If records identifying the subject will be maintained, indicate the extent to which these will be kept confidential.
  • If deception is involved (see discussion of deception under "Review Categories" in sidebar), a statement to the effect that “亚洲通 cannot explain all of the details of the experiment to you at this time, but they will be explained fully at the conclusion of the experiment.”
  • An explanation of whom to contact for pertinent questions about the research (generally the PI), and whom to contact about research subjects’ rights and research-related injury (the current Chair of the IRB).
  • A statement that participation is voluntary, refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, and the subject may discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled.
  • A statement preceding the signature block guaranteeing the legal age of subjects:  “In signing below, I affirm that I am 18 years of age or older.”
  • Dated signatures for subject and investigator.  The use of witness signatures by the Principal Investigator is optional unless specifically required by the IRB.
  • The date of IRB approval of the project (date of e-mail notification).