Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a review take?
How do I submit a Modification Request?
How do I submit a Continuing Review form?
I received an automatic email from IRBNet, what do I do
How do I create an Informed Consent form?
How do I share my study with my mentor?
What's the difference between a field test and a pilot study?
My study was deferred. What does this mean and what do I do?
I am having difficulty securing permission for the use of my instrument. Is permission required if I can't locate the instrument author?

How long does a review take?

Once a submission is determined complete by the IRB Office, they will forward your study to an IRB reviewer within your school. Typically reviews can take 10-15 business days, but this is not guaranteed.
The turn around time for evaluations depends on the research topic, IRB application materials submitted, and the reviewer's workload.
Optional: Your submission was submitted during the quarter break. As a result, the review will take much longer (3-4 weeks at least) due to the break, holiday, and high volume of submissions.

You will receive an email from IRBNet once the evaluation is complete. In addition, you can always check on the status of your submission by logging in to IRBNet and looking at the status indicator (in green font). Definitions of the status indicators can be found on iGuide in the Research and Scholarship Center.

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How do I submit a Modification Request?

You will need to create another submission in IRBNet. Follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to IRBNet
  2. Click on your study's title
  3. Click on Designer
  4. Click on Add New Document

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How do I submit a Continuing Review form?

You will need to create another submission in IRBNet. Follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to IRBNet
  2. Click on your study's title
  3. Click on Designer
  4. Click on Add New Document
  5. Click on Create New Package
  6. Click on New Document Package
  7. Click on Add New Document (Continuing Review Form and supporting documents)

You and your mentor must sign this package. Your mentor must also submit the package to the IRB for review. Continuing review forms must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the expiration of your IRB approval. If you have any further questions regarding continuing review, please send an email to researchandscholarship@capella.edu.

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I received an automatic email from IRBNet, what do I do?

You will need to read the decision letter or memo posted in your study in IRBNet. Follow the directions below to find these documents:

  1. Log into IRBNet
  2. Click on the study's title
  3. Click on Reviews which is located under "Project Administration"
  4. Scroll down to "Board Documents"

If you have any further questions regarding your study, please send an email to researchandscholarship@capella.edu.

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How do I create an Informed Consent form?

Creating an informed consent form is one of the most challenging and time consuming tasks in preparing the IRB application. Use the Informed Consent template or wizard. Templates can be found on this page and the wizard is available on IRBNet (under "Designer"–Step 2). These tools will not only save you time, but also assist you in complying with the federal requirements regarding informed consent. Please remember that you cannot contact participants and obtain their consent until you have received IRB approval from Capella's IRB.

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How do I share my study with my mentor?

You will need to complete the following steps to share your package with your mentor.

  1. Log in to IRBNet
  2. Click on your study's title
  3. From the menu at the left of the screen, click on Share this Project
  4. When the "Share Project" screen appears, click the word Share
  5. Select Capella University, Minneapolis, MN from the drop-down menu
  6. On the next screen, type your mentor's last name in the search field
  7. Click on Search
  8. When your mentor's name appears, choose Full as the type of "Permission Access" you are granting to him or her (If their name does not appear, check your spelling. If it still isn't there, your mentor needs to register and activate an account in IRBNet.)
  9. Type in any comments you wish to send to your mentor in the comments field
  10. Click on Save

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What's the difference between a field test and a pilot study?

Instrument Credibility – Field Test (Expert Review)

A Field Test (Expert Review) may be recommended to assess the appropriateness of interview questions, questionnaires, or other researcher-created instruments. Experts in the field review the questions and offer feedback to the researcher about whether the questions are appropriate for the population, whether they will make sense to the population, and whether they represent the perspectives of the field. Experts in the field typically include faculty, practitioners, or respected researchers. A field test never includes people who meet the criteria for inclusion in the study, and expert reviewers are not asked to complete the instrument but rather to provide feedback on the instrument. A field test may therefore be conducted prior to IRB approval.

Instrument Validity/Reliability – Pilot Study

A pilot study uses actual participants from the population upon which the study will be based to assess the validity of instruments/tools. Pilot studies are typically recommended when a researcher has created an instrument that is intended to measure something, or when a researcher has modified a valid instrument to the point that new validity information is necessary. Pilot studies might also be used to establish whether an intervention or process is valid prior to engaging in a larger study. Often, the intent of a pilot study is to determine whether the instrument measures the construct it is intended to measure. Sometimes, the validation of a new instrument using a pilot study is in and of itself a formal research study; other times, a pilot study would be conducted with a small sample prior to implementing a larger study. Because pilot studies use participants and any study involving human participants or their records requires IRB approval, the pilot study must be approved by the IRB prior to implementation. Preferably, researchers should prepare only one IRB application covering both the pilot study and the actual research study. If a pilot study results in changes to the instrument, the IRB may need to review those changes prior to the instrument's use in a formal study.

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My study was deferred. What does this mean and what do I do?

If you receive an email saying your study has been deferred, it means that the IRB reviewer is requiring changes to your study before you can get IRB approval. Please note that at this point, you still do NOT have IRB approval.

To view the reasons your study was deferred, please complete the following steps:

  1. Log into IRBNet
  2. Click on your study's title
  3. Click on Reviews which is located under "Project Administration"
  4. Scroll down to "Board Documents"
  5. Click on Deferral Memo and the Reviewer Evaluation
Once you have addressed the items in the memo, please do not click on "Submit this Study." Instead, send an email to researchandscholarship@capella.edu stating that your study is ready for review again.

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I am having difficulty securing permission for the use of my instrument. Is permission required if I can't locate the instrument author?

If the permission of the author of an instrument cannot be obtained AND the instrument is not publically available (that is, either free for anyone to use or can be purchased by anyone), then the instrument cannot be used without violating copyright laws.

Please identify a different instrument for your research that measures the same construct or try alternate routes for securing permission, such as through the publishing agency for the journal where the instrument was published. If it is an instrument that can be purchased, you may purchase the instrument and submit proof of purchase with your IRB application.

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