IRBNet Resources

The IACUC requires electronic protocol submissions on IRBNet, including revisions and renewals. The IACUC protocol form, personnel form, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Occupational Health and Safety (OHSP) form, and other authorized forms are available on IRBNet.

The approved IACUC protocol in IRBNet is, in essence, the Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for your work using live vertebrates. The protocol must be kept current with respect to changing techniques, objectives, and personnel. The protocol must be readily accessible in your lab or office and every individual working on your project must read and understand the protocol. All captive wildlife or laboratory animals used under this protocol must be identified by the IACUC number. This number must be on every surgery record, the animal management records, pathology records, and you must provide this number to have pharmaceuticals dispensed from veterinary services.

You will need to submit a brief annual report on activities conducted under this protocol.  A reminder will be sent automatically by IRBNet.

Access to IRBNet

IRBNet can be accessed here: www.irbnet.org.

  1. Click the "New User Registration" link in the upper right hand corner of the page and follow the instructions. Select University of Alaska Anchorage as your affiliation.
  2. Follow the instructions in IRBNet to your preferred e-mail. Follow the link in the e-mail to complete the registration process.
  3. If applicable, notify your research team that you are registered. This includes co-Principal Investigators and Research Supervisors for thesis research, for example. The Principle Investigator, or someone designated by the Investigator, will need to "Share" the IRBNet package with you before you have access to that package.
  4. Access the "Read Me First" document under Forms and Templates on IRBNet. This document is specific to the UAA IRBNet system for the IACUC.

    Important Note: The IACUC and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) use the same submission system at UAA. In other words, you have the option to submit your project to the IACUC or IRB when logged into IRBNet. Please double check to make sure submissions are sent to the correct committee for review!

Where to Begin

Please review IRBNet's training tools to become acquainted with the system.

IRBNet Submission Instructions for initial reviews:

  • Login to IRBNet and click "Create New Project" on the left hand menu.
  • Go to the "Designer" page on the left hand menu, and use the "Attach New Document" tool to upload all needed and applicable documents.
    NOTE: Form templates for nearly all essential study documents can be found in the UAA IRBNet Forms and Templates Library for IACUC Researchers.
  • Sign the package by clicking the "Sign this Package" button on the left, and going through the subsequent prompts.
  • Submit the package for review by clicking the "Submit this Package" button on the left.
    NOTE: Please make sure you submit the package to the correct committee on IRBNet, the UAA IACUC.

IRBNet Submission Instructions for subsequent reviews:

If you will add new personnel, adjust your protocol(s), or submit an annual report, you will need to submit the updated or new documents using the following steps:

  1. Login to IRBNet and select the original project under "My Projects."
  2. Click the button near the bottom of the left hand menu that says “Create New Package”. This will create a dash two (ex: [1234567-2]) or subsequent package for you to upload any new and revised documents.
    NOTE: “Package” and “Project” have very specific and different meanings in IRBNet. Projects are represented uniquely by the first seven numbers, such as “1234567” in [1234567-2]. A Package is associated with a Project, and is represented by the “-1”, “-2”, etc. An IRBNet Project can have any number of Packages. If one is not careful, these differences can cause confusion and delays in the review process.
  3. Go to the "Designer" page on the left hand menu, and use the "Attach New Document" tool to upload the new or revised documents.
  4. Sign the package by clicking the "Sign this Package" button on the left, and going through the subsequent prompts.
  5. Submit the package for review by clicking the "Submit this Package" button on the left.

IRBNet Q&A for the IACUC

  • Q: "Help! I'm creating a new IRBNet package and I can't find the IACUC forms!"
    A: When downloading the UAA IACUC's forms and templates, you will need to select the UAA IACUC's library from the drop-down menu in IRBNet's Forms and Templates page. Please make sure you select the correct documents.
  • Q: "I accidentally submitted a project to the UAA IRB for review. How do I change this?"
  • A: Once you submit a project to the IACUC or IRB for review, it cannot be deleted. Please notify ORIC staff (907-786-1099) immediately so that the submission can be flagged to ignore. You can login to IRBNet and submit the package to the appropriate committee by clicking "Submit this Package" on the left hand side and following the prompts to submit it to the UAA IACUC. Please make sure you submit your study to the appropriate committee! 
  • Q: "Can I submit my research protocol and Husbandry Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in the same package?"
  • If you have a Husbandry SOP, Capture/Transport SOP, and/or Surgical SOP in addition to your activity protocol, please submit these documents in a separate IRBNet Project. In other words, please submit a package with your activity protocol, and another separate package with your supporting SOP. You will need to sign and submit both packages to the IACUC. 
  • Q: "I need to submit a progress report for my activity protocol and my SOPs. How do I do this?"
  • Please see our instructions for subsequent reviews above, and the SOP progress report. Please make sure to submit these documents in completely separate packages since research protocols and SOPs receive separate approvals. Review the "Read Me First" document above for instructions on how to submit a progress report.