Policies and Procedures

The Mt. SAC IRB reviews all proposed research involving human subjects in accordance with federal regulations, state laws, and District policies.  This included research being conducted for master's thesis and doctoral dissertations.  If you have any questions, please direct them to pquinones@mtsac.edu and copy dtorres106@mtsac.edu  using the following subject line: "Mt SAC IRB Policies and Procedures Question".

Before you submit your study, you should walk through these flowcharts to understand where your study might be categorized in the IRB process.
The applications that fall under the following categories:
1. Current IRB Approvals or Exemptions: Applications with existing IRB approval or exemption from another institution.
2. Exempt from Further Review: Proposals that qualify under one of the exemption categories for Human Research Protections.
3. Expedited Review: Research activities that pose minimal risk to human subjects.

To submit a research proposal for IRB review, follow these steps:
1. Download the IRB Protocol Checklist and the Mt. SAC IRB Application 
2. Save both documents to your computer.
3. Complete the Mt. SAC Application thoroughly.

Upload the completed documents outlined in the Checklist using the IRB Protocol link provided below.

IRB Protocol

The application review process will take approximately 2-3 weeks from the submission date.

IRB application that do not fit into any of the categories above are required to be reviewed by the full IRB.  The IRB committee meets on the second Friday of every month during the Fall semesters (Sept, October, and November) and during the Spring semester (March, April, and May).  IRB packets must be submitted at least two weeks prior  to when the committee meets.  The application review process takes approximately 4-5 weeks from the submission date.

Note: No IRB application will be reviewed during the Winter (January & February)and Summer (June, July, and August) sessions.

IRB Resources:
College's IRB Administrative Procedure 3260 
Classroom IRB Guidelines 

The IRB does not evaluate the soundness or quality of the proposed research nor does IRB approval of a study indicate Mt. San Antonio College District's endorsement or sponsorship of the study.

Mt. SAC IRB is registered with the U.S. Office of Human Subjects Research (IRB#00005967) and has received Federalwide Assurance (FWA #00021745)