Application and Submission Instructions

The Pitzer IRB submission process is an online application.

Please be advised that you will not be able to start and stop the application process before submitting it. Thus, we recommend that you have all of your IRB materials prepared in advance of beginning the electronic submission process.

The Protocol and Supporting Materials. The protocol should be submitted as a Word document written specifically for the review of the IRB. Grant applications and MA or PhD proposals are not an appropriate substitute because they typically do not not address the issues of risk and benefit needed for IRB review.

The Protocol should include the following information:

  1. The title of the research and the name of the principal investigator;
  2. The research question or questions under investigation;
  3. The nature of the population to be studied and, in addition,
    • the estimated number of participants that will be included, and the rationale for using this estimated number (i.e., sample size),
    • how the participants will be recruited,
    • whether any vulnerable populations (e.g., children, prisoners, pregnant women, people with cognitive impairments, etc.) will be recruited,
    • whether or not participants will be personally identified,
    • what participants will be told regarding the research and the character of  their participation, and
    • whether or not the project requires any deception.
  4. How consent will be obtained and from whom (e.g., adult participants, minors and their parents/guardians, organizational consent, etc.)
  5. The degree of sensitivity of the information to be gathered and, if participants are to be personally identified, the steps that will be taken to ensure confidentiality;
  6. The methods to be used (e.g., survey, experiment, field observations, etc.)
  7. An assessment of the benefits of the project, including its contribution to scientific knowledge and any direct benefits it may offer to the participants;
  8. An assessment of the risks to participants and how they will be handled; include data management procedures that will uphold confidentiality and/or anonymity, such as data storage, security, retention, and sharing. 
  9. Please include all the documents or materials included in your research protocol. These materials include, but are not limited to, surveys, questionnaires, consent forms, recruitment materials (e.g., emails, flyers, newspaper ads, etc.) and any other supporting documents or materials to which the participants will be exposed in the process of giving consent.

If you have any additional questions, please direct your inquiries to [email protected].

Forms and Templates 

Categories of IRB Applications.

There are four general categories of IRB applications (first time submission, revision of an application not previously approved, revision or modification of an application previously approved, and continuation). If you are a Pitzer College faculty member, staff member, student, or other individual who lists Pitzer College as the home institution, please refer to the appropriate IRB application submission instructions below. If you are a faculty member, staff member, or student at one of the other Claremont Colleges, IRB review/approval originates at the researcher’s home campus and is sufficient to conduct participant recruitment across the Claremont Colleges. Access to resources, e.g., student listservs or posting of flyers, is controlled by the individual campuses and students/faculty wishing such access must approach the individual Dean of Student Offices for access to such resources. Individual campuses may request additional information such as the original IRB approved application and IRB approval letter.

First time submission of this application. If you are a Pitzer College faculty member, staff member, or student and have not previously received Pitzer IRB approval for your research, please select, “first time submission of this application” and follow the on-line submission instructions.

Revision of an application not previously approved. If you have been asked to provide additional information, clarify, or revise your Pitzer IRB application, please select, “revision of an application not previously approved” and follow the on-line submission instructions. Also, please include a cover letter detailing—and highlighting in yellow—your response to concerns raised in the review of your previous submission

Revision or modification of an application already approved. If you are requesting changes to your IRB application that has already been approved by the Pitzer IRB, please select, “revision or modification of an application already approved” and follow the on-line submission instructions.Also, please include a cover letter detailing—and highlighting in yellow—any changes to your previously approved application.

Continuation. If data collection has ended and no adverse events have occurred since the last IRB review, the research project no longer needs to undergo continuing IRB review. If data collection is active and extends beyond the date approved by the Pitzer IRB, a request for continuation of IRB approval should be sent to [email protected]. Your request should include the following information:

  • Name of principal investigator
  • IRB ID number
  • Title of research project
  • The current state of data collection, including how many additional participants will be recruited
  • Whether any changes in data collection are being requested
  • And, notification of any adverse events that have occurred since the last IRB review.