If you would like to submit a project to the USM Institutional Review Board (IRB), please follow the submission steps below.

Sixty (60) days prior to starting data collection fill out and submit the on line form.  Answer all questions fully and in sufficient detail to allow reviewers to make the determinations required.  Only complete protocol submissions will be accepted for review. 

All research involving human subjects conducted by any employee or agent of USM (faculty, staff, students, external, etc.) must receive IRB review and approval prior to implementation.  

ALERT: ORIO will no longer process Legacy submissions after July 1, 2025. Please reach out to usmorio@maine.edu if you have questions.

Click here to book a Zoom appointment with the ORIO Team.

Appropriate to the context of your research, complete either the Social & Behavioral Research Investigators or Biomedical Research Investigators training by registering through or affiliating an existing profile with the University of Maine System in the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program.  New User CITI Guide (pdf).    FMI CITI.

Notes: It is your email address that links CITI and Cayuse, in all cases. The CITI Report contains the list of modules in the course. USM can use CITI single-sign-on icon on the MyUSM Launch Pad. Direct link: https://citiprogram.org/

Any training other than the University of Maine System (UMS) CITI trainings will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please email the detailed content of the non-UMS training to usmorio@maine.edu. It should include the list of modules in the course to compare to UMS course.

Click here for Cayuse User ID Request: https://forms.gle/SUUNkEmL2EE3AKEW7

-USM Faculty/Staff/Students you will need your 7 digit student/employee ID when filling out the User ID request.
-IMPORTANT: For all human subject research projects, you will need proof of training (see step 1). (Hold on to it, you will need a copy in the protocol submission).

University of Southern Maine (USM)
–After you receive confirmation from ORIO that your User ID has been set up, log into MyUSM first in a browser (such as FireFox or Chrome), open a new tab in the same browser, then paste the login link into the URL bar.
-USM Login: https://usm-maine.cayuse.com/rs/irb#dashboard

External to USM: You will receive an email from Cayuse with a link and temporary password. Please follow the email’s instructions. Be careful when copying the password provided so that it does not have a space before/after.
-Once logged in choose Human Ethics from the Products drop-down to get to your Dashboard.
-External to USM login: https://usm-maine.app.cayuse.com/guest

Questions may be sent to usmorio@usm.maine.edu

Guidance and resources consent templates and guidance documents 

HRPP Policies and Procedures 

Single IRB, Recruitment at USM, or External to USM and need an IRB?

Information for Principal Investigators (PI)

Information for Research Participants

After logging in to Cayuse and getting to your Dashboard, click on the New Study button, give it a title (blue check to save), click New Submission button. Refer to Cayuse visual guides below.

Cayuse is a “smart form”, it will depend on your choices throughout the form as to what you will be filling out. The screenshots will show all the choices available. Each document below is a pdf.

Creating a New Human Subject Research submission:

–Start Initial Human Subject Research Submission

–Study Design Section

–Study Selection Section

–Study Procedures Section

–Participant Protections (Consent) Section

–Complete Submission and Certification Routing

If applicable:

–Data and Safety Monitoring

–HIPAA

–International Research

–Study Products

Creating a Determination of Human Subject Research
-Includes submission of Faculty Led Student Classroom Projects

Replying to Reviewer Comments

Creating a Modification

Creating a Renewal/Continuing Review
Note: If you have changes, complete a Modification BEFORE submitting a Renewal.

Creating an Incident Report

Creating a Closure/Completion of a protocol

Find Documents After Approval

Creating a Determination for Future Research

Delete an Unsubmitted Submission: Modification, Renewal, Withdrawal, Incident, Completion

Delete an Unsubmitted Study

Personnel: Include anyone with access to identifiable data or direct access to research subjects must be on the protocol. They may also need to request a Cayuse ID in order to be added to the submission.

Answers should be succinct and written in plain language. 

Note: Please use the form’s navigation and not the browser.

Attachments can be made throughout the form and and in the Attachments section. Attachments should be in PDF or Word formats. Reviewers do not have access to links, Google or SharePoint drives, etc.

Examples of attachments:

  • CV or Resume for all research staff
  • Human Subject Research training for all research staff
  • Interview/Focus Group Questions
  • Questionnaires/Surveys
  • List of variables for secondary data
  • Recruitment Materials (e.g., flyers, email text, verbal scripts)
  • Letters of Agreement/Cooperation from organizations
  • Consent Forms
  • Assent Forms/Parental Permission
  • Methods section of your thesis or dissertation proposal
  • Grants/Sub-contract
  • Other files associated with the project

Each Principal Investigator/Faculty Advisor will need to “certify” each submission, including responding to comments.

You will receive an email notification when the protocol has been sent, accepted, sent to the IRB, if/when the reviewers have any questions or changes, and again when the project has been approved. 

Please refer to the Cayuse guides to certify and replying to comments.