Faculty Advisor Instructions

Student initiated research involving human subjects, whether dissertation, thesis, or other research projects, must be supervised by a Fordham University faculty member to ensure compliance with procedures and regulations relating to the protection of human subjects.

The Faculty Advisor must officially approve all research where the student is identified as the principal investigator. The Faculty Advisor’s approval verifies that the research has been reviewed and is in compliance with both Federal policies and Fordham University policies. Official approval is given in the Mentor app by accepting the protocol submission as outlined in the instructions below.

For more information about Faculty Advising review the Faculty Advisor Responsibilities  and the IRB Submission Tips.

How to Review Student Protocols in the Mentor App

  • Under the IRB tab click on “Student Protocols”
  • Find the protocol you are assigned to review by IRB number or Click on the appropriate title.
  • Read through the various materials that have been submitted such as the IRB application, eligibility screening documents, informed consent documents and recruitment scripts or flyers. These materials can be found towards the bottom of the Protocol Page as links that you may click on.
  • If the research protocol is appropriate, and it has been completed to your satisfaction – you may skip to the next If not, please email your student about any changes that need to be made to the protocol or documents.
  • When finished, click on “Faculty Supervisor ”
  • You now have a number of options from the drop-down menu; select one, then click on “Update Status”
    1. Not Yet Accepted - click on this if you have comments to relay to IRB Staff
    2. *Accepted – click on this ONLY if the protocol and associated materials are perfect, and/or you have no comments to make.
    3. Declined - click on this if you have comments to relay to the IRB

*By accepting this protocol you verify your understanding of the responsibilities and review requirements noted. You also certify that the student investigator is familiar with the ethical practices, regulations and policies that pertain to human subjects research, and that the student investigator has sufficient training and judgement (along with cultural competence when appropriate) to conduct this study as described in the attached protocol.