The University of Georgia (UGA) Institutional Review Board (IRB or Board) has mandated that effective January 1, 2006, all key personnel performing research with human subjects receive education on the protection of human subjects. This is in response to a policy that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) instituted that requires all proposals for contracts and grants for research involving human subjects submitted after October 1, 2000 certify that all key personnel have received education on the protection of human research subjects. UGA’s Federalwide Assurance (FWA) with the Department of Health and Human Services/Office of Human Research Protections (DHHS/OHRP) states that the University will ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of all human subjects participating in research regardless of funding source. This means that the same standards for education of key personnel will apply whether a project is funded or not. The NIH policy is posted on: (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-01-061.html) and (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html).

This education requirement will be satisfied by the completion of the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative Course or CITI. The CITI program is a comprehensive, web-based training program on the protection of human research subjects, and is housed at the University of Miami.  It is currently being used by more than 400 universities and institutions world-wide. There are courses for social/behavioral and biomedical researchers, and each course is focused on a different aspect of bioethics and human subjects research. Each course module, developed by experts in the IRB community, has an associated quiz. An aggregate score of 80% is required to receive a course completion report. This report can be downloaded, and will also be sent to UGA’s Human Subjects Office. Final approval of new and continuing studies, or addition of new key research personnel on approved studies, will only be granted if training has been completed. Researchers will be required to complete a refresher course every five (5) years.

Completion of the required modules takes most people 2 to 3 hours.  You do not have to complete all of the modules at one time.  You may stop and return at a later time to complete the rest of the modules by signing in with the user name and password you chose during registration.  

Before you begin the training, read the FAQs and Instructions which can provide you with some very helpful information about the training.

CITI FAQs

CITI Instructions

CITI Training

Please contact the UGA IRB if you have any questions about the training requirements, or the CITI system administrator if you experience technical problems using the system.

Instructions for Completing CITI Training

To complete the CITI course, register at https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp.

1. On the CITI Login and Registration Page, click Register for the CITI Course.
2. On the Select your institution or organization page, scroll down to the category All Others and select University of Georgia, then click the SUBMIT button.
3. On the Select Your Username and Password page, enter the requested information and click the Submit button.
4. On the CITI Registration Page, complete the form as instructed and when finished, click the Submit Information button. (Note: If you are affiliated with UGA, please enter the last ten digits of your university number in the Employee Number space. If you are not, please enter the name of the principal investigator of the study.)
5. At the Select Group page, Step 1 gives you basic instructions; for Step 2 asks you to Select a group appropriate to your research activities. You should choose one of the following:
   
   Group 1 Social & Behavioral Research
   Group 2 Social & Behavioral Research – Children
   Group 3 Social & Behavioral Research – International
   Group 4 Social & Behavioral Research – Children & International
   Group 5 Social & Behavioral Research – Internet
   Group 6 Social & Behavioral Research – Prisoners
   Group 7 Bio-Medical Research
   Group 8 IRB Members
   
   
6. On the Learners Menu, choose Basic Course.  The required and optional modules are listed in the Grade Book.
7. Complete all the required modules and associated quizzes.   A passing score of 80% or better is needed for successful completion of the course.
8. After you have completed the modules for one of the above groups, an electronic notification will be sent to our office and you will get a certificate of completion. Print a copy of this certificate and keep a copy for your records. When you submit an IRB application, you must attach a copy of your course completion certificate.

Important:  Since you may not be able to complete all the required modules in one session, remember your username and password because you will need these to re-enter the course site.

For questions or additional information about the training requirements, contact the Human Subjects Office at IRB@uga.edu or 706.542.3199. For technical problems with the CITI site or course, contact the CITI Office at citisupport@med.miami.edu or 305.243.7970.