Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Your protocol submission to the IACUC will have two parts:

• the Animal Research Form (ARF)
• a written section consisting of mandatory attachments.

Both parts of the protocol, plus instructions are included in the form.

Information required in the written attachments includes:

• Summary of Study. Please write two paragraphs: (1) a paragraph explaining your project and its importance, in lay terms (non-technical language) suitable for a broad audience; and (2) a scientific abstract of your project and its importance, including relevant citations. The scientific abstract should clearly indicate how the project is supported and justified by the existing scientific literature.
• Justification for the use of animals and species. Provide rationale for using animals and for appropriateness of the species selected. In particular, give reasons as to why non-animal methods (e.g., computer simulations, in vitro testing) cannot be employed.
• Justification of number of animals. How was the number of animals determined? A diagrammatic flow chart is often helpful to illustrate groups and manipulations used.
• Narrative. This should be the longest section of your protocol. Explain the experimental design and provide a complete description of all animal procedures. The experimental course for all animals should be clearly presented from start to finish. Include all research categories checked on page 1 of the ARF.
• Qualification, experience, or training – Name, title, and qualification, experience or training of each person (including PI) as it pertains to the current project, the specific species and the procedures to be used. The PI must be a current SMCM faculty member.