Seven Easy Steps To Apply for IRB Approval
1. Complete the CITI Training
All investigators, faculty sponsors, or any research team members involved with a study must complete the online required CITI training at www.citiprogram.org. When creating your CITI training account, please use your Fordham email address. As a Fordham affiliated PI or Co-PI, you DO NOT have to submit your CITI completion reports with your submission as Mentor is synced with the CITI program and will automatically upload to your PI docs. For any Co-PIs or study personnel not affiliated with Fordham, please upload CITI certificates under additional documentation when submitting your application.
2. Log into the Mentor System
You may access Mentor IRB from your the Fordham portal account by clicking the Institutional Review Board App located under Applications section.
3. Go to the Mentor Info Page and Read Carefully!
The Info Page contains all the necessary information and documents for completing your IRB application. It contains all the documents mentioned in this guide, along with various others that will help you in the process. You can find the Info Page by logging into the Mentor System and clicking on the “IRB” tab. Use the Diagnostic Pre-Protocol Survey to determine the category of your research - Exempt, Expedited Review or Full Board Review.
4. Download and Complete All Necessary Documents
Please download, open, and complete the appropriate application for your category of research along with any informed consent letters, assent statements, surveys, scripts, etc. which are specific to your project. For some helpful hints please click this link for IRB Submission Tips. On your computer please save each attachment separately and clearly label each one. Once the appropriate documents for your application have been completed, you are ready to submit the protocol through the Mentor System.
5. Upload the Documents into Mentor
To submit a new protocol, click on the “My Protocols” tab, and the “Create a New Protocol” button. Upload each document into Mentor under the applicable category i.e. consent forms, data collection forms, recruitment materials, etc. Remember to include copies of CITI completion certificates for all those research personnel named in the application who are NOT affiliated with Fordham. For detailed instructions, see “How to Submit a New Protocol" document located on the Info Page of Mentor IRB.
6. Submit the Protocol
Make sure you click the “Submit Application” button once your protocol is complete! If you do not click this button, your application will not be submitted for IRB approval and therefore will not be reviewed.
7. Faculty Advisor Review and Approval
Your Faculty Advisor must approve your protocol before it can be reviewed by the IRB. Instructions for Faculty Advisor approval can be found on the Info Page under Faculty Advisors. In the Mentor App open the document Faculty Advisor Instructions for Reviewing Student Protocols.
If you have any questions, please contact the IRB office at [email protected].