Remember that the document titles you type in in CLARA are what will be listed in your final approval letter. It’s worth taking a few minutes to type in complete, easy-to-read, descriptive names to make it easy for reviewers to see what’s what and to later be able to determine just what it is your […]

When completing a new submission form in CLARA, you’ll encounter a question that reads, “What is the lay summary of this study?” As you answer this question, keep in mind your intended audience. The language used in this response should be easy to read and understandable to someone who hasn’t been in a science class […]

Don’t miss this chance to earn the most convenient 0.5 hours of Certified Research Specialist elective credit you’ll ever see! The current Research News and Tips blog quiz will be available through the end of the month. While we’ll post another one in the fourth quarter of the year, remember that you can earn up to […]

Few things are more frustrating than getting your new submission all shipshape, or submitting your continuing review form on time to get a renewal before it expires, only to get a contingency back indicating that somebody on your study staff needs to complete human subject protection training on citiprogram.org. The online course must be retaken […]

The complicated language we often see in consent form has long frustrated subjects, IRB reviewers, and researchers. In an effort to make consent forms more readily understandable, the UAMS Center for Health Literacy, with input from others on campus, has developed a Plain Language consent form template that researchers can adapt to their studies. The […]

All studies eventually end. Do you know what you’ll do with your research data once your study’s over? In fact, you’ll be asked to start thinking about what you plan to do with your data long term as you complete your new submission form in CLARA. The Risks section includes several questions about data storage, […]

The Office of Research Compliance has a full schedule of Certified Research Specialist classes planned for fall. Make plans to attend classes to earn or renew your CRS credential, or just to stay current on research best practices. All classes are to be held on the UAMS campus unless otherwise specified. Live class schedule: Essentials […]

The IRB requires current human subject protection training through CITI (citiprogram.org) for everyone listed as staff on research studies. CITI training is now valid for 3 years (up from the previous 2 years). CLARA automatically tracks CITI training status, and it’s accurate – most of the time. Here are some pointers to increase the likelihood that […]

I’ve gone into CLARA, I’ve checked the “history” tab for my new submission that I completed a couple of days ago, and the tab shows the study is in prereview. So the IRB already has my study and I should be hearing from the IRB in a few days, correct? Well, not exactly. CLARA is the […]

Responding to IRB contingencies often involved making changes to previously submitted documents. When uploading revised documents, please remember to not delete previous versions of the documents you’ve changing. The IRB will need to keep those on hand to be able to compare changes and to document all the iterations of a particular item. If the […]