Submitting an IRB Protocol
W&M Protocol System
To request the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a project, log in to the Protocol and Compliance Management System. The normal processing time for a protocol that does not require a convened meeting is approximately three to four weeks from the time of submission. A notice of approval will be sent electronically to the PI(s) of record.
All protocols required an Informed Consent Form (ICF) must use the W&M ICF template. Once protocols are approved, they will be "stamped." The stamped versions must be used when consenting participants.
Protocols are valid for one year.
If the project is to continue beyond the expiration date, please select the "clone" function and carefully review the data that transfers to the new protocol. All deviations from the original approved protocol must be modified in the new protocol submission. Resubmitted protocols will be reviewed again.
Board Review Type
Based upon guidelines provided by the DHHS, the W&M IRB will either:
- exempt the protocol from formal review or require that it undergo,
- expedited review by the Chair, and typically, selected member(s) of the committee, or
- review by the full committee during a convened meeting.
All protocols involving human subjects must be submitted to the IRB at William & Mary for exemption or approval. William & Mary institutional policy does not permit self-exemption.
For questions, please email researchcompliance@wm.edu.
Updates to System:
- Coming Soon: SPARCS Protocol management system will replace compliance.wm.edu
- The IRB protocol form has a new Health & Safety section. It must be completed for all new protocols and all protocols involving in-person procedures. In-person procedures include material and apparatus maintenance as well as data collection and analysis stages of research.
Special Considerations
- NTE Faculty may submit protocols to IRB with the inclusion of a letter of support from his/her Department/Program chair.
- NTE Faculty must "cc" Department/Program chair on the "Basic Info" page of the IRB protocol form in the Protocol and Compliance Management system.
- If your protocol is for the School of Education, whether new, modification, or renewal of a previously approved protocol, please use the EdIRB form.
- If the information collected by your project is to be kept in house (i.e. not to be shared with the public) or collected for pedagogical reasons,( i.e., teaching purposes), it is not considered research by the committee thus does not require committee approval.
