Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Mercer University research. If you're looking for assistance with something specific, select a topic listed below to see what other investigators have asked.
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If you can't find the answers you're looking for, contact the Office of Research Compliance and our staff will be happy to assist you.
General IRB Questions
IRB review does not begin until the ORC has received a COMPLETE protocol application. A complete application MUST include a completed New Protocol Application form with any additional documents required to conduct your research (i.e., informed consents and signed permissions and research requests).
Once the ORC has received your complete application, it will be processed and pending review. Protocol applications typically take up to two weeks to be processed, reviewed, and approved or exempt by the IRB.
NOTE: Applications are processed in the order they are received. Processing and review of your applicaiton may be delayed if submitted to the ORC around IRB Meeting dates or holidays.
A research application may only be determined exempt by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subject Research. No research may be conducted until a protocol application has been submitted, reviewed, and either Approved or determined Exempt from Further Review by the IRB.
If your application is exempt, the Principal Investigator will receive an official exemption letter from the IRB when you have been approved to begin research.
When adding contact information to an informed consent form, use a phone number and email address that can be used to reach you most readily.
The submission of IRB applications, continuing reviews, modification/amendments, and study closures, will use the InfoEd software for all submissions and the supporting documents. Investigators wishing to submit documents for IRB review and approval must have a profile in the InfoEd software.
Please see the instruction manual for creating a profile in InfoEd.
Returning investigators who are familiar with the different Mercer protocol supplemental documents and already know which ones they need to use may access a full list of all available Mercer research forms by visiting https://orc.mercer.edu/irb/irb-forms-2.cfm for IRB submission and https://orc.mercer.edu/iacuc/iacuc-forms.cfm for the IACUC forms.
Clinical Trial and Collaborative Research Questions
In addition to the application, informed consent/assent forms (if applicable), you will need to submit the data collection tool, and a permission form or letter from the external site allowing access to their patients or patient records. If the external site will also be reviewing the study through its IRB, the approval letter from the external IRB will serve as site permission.
Online Survey Research Questions
If your research involves an online survey, it must be indicated on your protocol application. If you decide to use a different online survey software, the name of the software you will be using must also be provided on your application.
Investigators who wish to speed up the survey review process may opt to use the free SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics software.
