Not having all research personnel sign the initial package, including faculty advisors.
Not including all research personnel under the Additional Personnel section of the application wizard in the Designer section.
Not including all the applicable attachments necessary to your application. Please see the smart list formed at the end of your UWF IRB Application wizard found in the Designer section of IRBNet.
Do not copy and paste portions of a written assignment into your proposal. Keep it simple and answer all questions.
All UWF research personnel will need to take either the Social & Behavioral Research- Basics course or the Biomedical Research- Basics course, depending on the type of study you are conducting. Research Personnel that are outside of UWF, should take the free course available through OHRP. Please see Training Requirements for more information.
There are discrepancies throughout the application. Examples include the time it will take to complete a survey and the amount of compensation available. For instance, risks, benefits, and inclusion criteria should be the same in the proposal as it is in the informed consent.
The amount of compensation should not provide undue influence to participants. Compensation should accrue as the study progresses. See Research Incentives for more information.
Using the terms anonymous/confidential incorrectly in regards to data security. See HRPP Anonymous vs. Confidential for guidance.
The informed consent form is not written at the 8th grade reading level for adults or at an age appropriate reading level for minors.
An informed consent that doesn’t explain what happens if a participant decides to not participate. When treatment or services are involved, an affirmation should be included indicating that a decision not to participate will not affect the availability of services to which the individual is entitled. When students are involved, an affirmation should be included indicating that non-participation will not affect grades or academic standing.
Refrain from using acronyms or technical jargon in the informed consent form or in data collection.
If participants may experience emotional or psychological distress, you will need to include a counseling statement with resources that are available to them. See the sample counseling statement in the document library of IRBNet.
