Frequently Asked Questions

When is my IRB protocol due?
The IRB meeting schedule has been designed to maximize the opportunity for researchers to have their protocols reviewed throughout each year. Please refer to the chart below for a schedule of protocol submission dates and IRB meeting dates. Note that late applications cannot be accepted.

IRB Meeting Schedule for 2008

How many copies of my protocol should I submit?
The Queensborough Community College IRB requires one original version of the protocol containing the applicant’s signature in blue ink and nine photocopies of all materials. Completed applications should be submitted to the IRB Administrator, Dr. Anthony DeLuca, in the Office of Academic Affairs (Room A-504).

How do I re-submit revisions to a protocol if the IRB indicates they are necessary before the research can be approved?
If your protocol has been reviewed by the IRB and the committee has requested revisions, you should re-submit those revisions to the IRB Administrator’s Office        (A-504) with a cover memo indicating the changes made and the page on which those changes can be found. In order to expedite the processing of your protocol, you should make and submit the requested changes soon after you receive official, written notification.

If I have questions about the IRB process, whom should I contact?
If you have questions about how to complete the IRB application, you should contact Queensborough Community College’s IRB Administrator, Dr. Anthony DeLuca, at
718-631-6344 or at ADeluca@qcc.cuny.edu. If you have questions about your study’s design or IRB regulations, you should contact the IRB Chairperson, Dr. Robert Becker, at 718-281-5421 or at RBecker@qcc.cuny.edu.

How do I know if I have received approval?
A Principal Investigator will be notified of approval via a written letter from the IRB Chairperson. 

When can I begin my research?
Principal Investigators (PIs) may begin their research only after they receive written approval from the IRB chair. A PI, or any other key personnel participating in a study, cannot initiate research prior to receiving written approval.

If I receive IRB approval pending certain revisions, can I begin my study?
You may not begin your study if you have not received your written approval letter from the IRB chair. If your approval is contingent upon certain revisions being made to your protocol, you must first make and submit the requested changes to the IRB Administrator, who will forward the changes to the committee for review. If the committee agrees that the revisions are acceptable, the letter of approval will be sent to the PI.

What do I do if the committee asks for revisions?
If the committee requests revisions, the best way to expedite your protocol’s review is to make the required changes and attach a cover memo that highlights the changes the committee has asked you to make and where they can be found in the application. The committee strongly recommends that applicants paginate their protocols, which will speed up the review process. If there are any questions as to the requested revisions, contact the IRB chairperson, Dr. Robert Becker, at 281-5421. The IRB Administrator cannot answer these questions.

If I am conducting my research as a graduate student, what do I need to do?
If you are conducting human subjects’ research in connection with a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis, you must attach a copy of the dissertation/thesis to your application, in addition to answering the questions posed in the application. Additionally, a faculty advisor at your home institution must sign off on the application. If the research involves a department or chair within Queensborough, please make sure that the researcher(s) is listed as co-PI.    

Notifying Queensborough Community College Administration
The College’s Administration has the right and the responsibility to review all research conducted at Queensborough and encourages all applicants to communicate their research plans to their respective supervisors or department chairs.  Applicants who are not part of the faculty, staff or student body at Queensborough should contact Cris Felton, the IRB Administrator, as early in the process as possible in order to facilitate communication with the College’s Administration about the proposed research.