Onboarding Summer Student Researchers: Guidance for Summer 2026

The LSUHSC-NO IRB is gearing up for Summer Research 2026. If you plan to involve summer students in human subjects research, now is the time to prepare. To help ensure timely approval and a smooth onboarding process, please review the important deadlines, requirements, and submission tips below.

If you plan to add a summer student to an existing IACUC or IBC protocol, please contact the appropriate office for guidance on required trainings and amendment instructions. These resources are also available on our committee webpages.

IACUC Office: IACUCoffice@lsuhsc.edu
IBC Office: IBCoffice@lsuhsc.edu

Tips from the IRB for Successful Submissions

To avoid delays during review:

1. Complete all required trainings and COI disclosures before submitting.

2. Use LSUHSC-NO IRB templates and remove instructional text before uploading.

3. Upload all documents as PDFs.

4. Submit clean documents (no tracked changes unless responding to revisions or submitting an amendment).

5. Clearly and concisely describe your research activities.

6. Specify the number of participants or records you expect to enroll and justify that number.

7. List all data elements or variables you plan to collect and upload related tools (REDCap forms, surveys, etc.).

8. Explain how you will access the data sources.

9. Indicate whether PII or PHI will be collected and describe how it will be stored and protected.

10. Provide certified translations for any non-English participant-facing materials.

11. External researchers: Review IRB website guidance before submitting.

12. Single IRB reliance studies: Consult IRB website guidance for requirements.       

RESEARCH TRAINING & DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS

LSUHSC-NO, under the purview of the Office of Compliance Programs and the Office of Research Services, requires specific training for individuals involved in research. The Office of Research is responsible for confirming compliance with the training and disclosure requirements for all HSC investigators including those listed in the initial application and those added after study approval through an amendment request.

Training Providers

Any employee, faculty, staff or student of LSUHSC-NO considered to be a key personnel in human subjects research (HSR) OR engaged in the conduct of HSR is required to complete HRPP- and institution-mandated research training prior to the initiation of research. IRB approval of a research study will not be issued until all training requirements are met. Individuals who are not key personnel AND not engaged in HSR, are exempt from training requirements described below

Key Personnel: any individual responsible for the design, conduct, or publication/presentation of research results. 

Engaged: an individual who intervenes or interacts with living individuals for research purposes, or obtains individually identifiable private information for research purposes.

Training requirements for external investigators - non-LSUHSC personnel engaged in a LSUHSC-associated study - are described here.