UF IRB Best Practices: Updating Documents

Updating documents is at the heart of many revisions and changes requested in myIRB. Whether it is the study protocol, the informed consent document, recruitment flyers, or questionnaires, making sure the IRB has the most recent version of your study documents is key to compliance. Learn more about how to update documents in myIRB to ensure that your changes can be processed quickly and smoothly.

1) Upload documents in Word format.

We’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating because it’s so important. Uploading documents in Word format (.doc or .docx) is crucial for ensuring a smooth review of your study or revision.

This is because Word documents can be easily stamped by the IRB approval team–an important part of getting informed consents and recruitment materials approved. Word documents also allow for changes to be tracked, which brings us to…

2) Use track changes when updating your documents. 

With thousands of studies and revisions passing through the IRB every year, using track changes on your documents is key to moving your submission forward. With track changes, IRB staff and Reviewers can easily see what you’re updating, making the process more efficient.

(Please also remember to accept all past changes in the document prior to adding your new round of updates–this way, the only tracked changes we see are those that are new to submission. Don’t forget to resolve and delete any additional comments/notes from study staff!)

3) Update–don’t delete!–attachments in myIRB. 

When you’re ready to submit your updated document through myIRB, please be sure that you are not deleting the old version of the document. Instead, click on the blue document hyperlink associated with the document in myIRB. This will open a new window that lets you choose a new file to replace the old version. For step-by-step instructions and screen shots on how to revise documents, check out the myIRB Researcher Manual. You can find directions starting on page 53!