Training

All members of RIT and external researchers collecting data at RIT are expected to adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards as they pursue research with human subjects. In light of that aim, RIT has adopted the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) for human subjects training.

CITI Program is a web-based training employed by academic institutions, government agencies, and commercial organizations worldwide. Anyone submitting a research activity for review will need to show evidence, for themselves and everyone in the Research Team, of successful completion of the Human Subjects Research course from the CITI Program. You no longer have to submit CITI certificates for RIT researchers; the Novelution IRB Protocol will receive the training information directly from the CITI platform. The training is valid for three years and certification obtained while at another institution may be honored. Approval of the protocol will be delayed until training is complete.

Follow these steps to register with CITI and enroll in the required course. CITI also offers a Quick Guide for New Learners with screen shots.

1. Go to the CITI homepage.
2. Click the Register button in the top right corner of the page.
3. In the “Select your Organization Affiliation” box, start typing “Rochester Institute of Technology” and select it when you see the name come up.
4. Click the checkboxes to agree to the Terms of Service and affirm that you are an affiliate of RIT. Click the “Create a CITI Program account” button.
5. Enter your personal information. Click “Continue to Step 3”
6. Create a username, password and select a security question/answer. Click “Continue to Step 4”
7. Ignore the question about ORCID ID. Provide country of residence, answer the contact question, then click “Finalize Registration.”

CITI offers Continuing Education (CE) credits; these are available for purchase. This is separate from the certificate each user will receive upon successful completion of the course.  Unless you need CEU credits for a job or professional association, it is unlikely you need to purchase them. You can select “no” and then “Submit.”

Provide the required information to affiliate with RIT.

There are several questions on this page, each relates to a distinct curriculum; RIT has access to all of these curriculums to fulfill different regulatory requirements:

1. Human Subjects Research,
2. Good Clinical Practices,
3. Responsible Conduct of Research, 
4. PHS/NIH Conflict of Interest Course. 

To fulfill the CITI certificate requirement to get your IRB protocol reviewed, you only need to complete a Human Subjects Research (HSR) course. You will select this course in Question 1 of the CITI registration. You can complete other courses but they will not count towards the HSRO CITI requirement. 

In Question 1, chose the Human Subjects Research learner group based on your role and the type of human subjects activities you will conduct. Select one of the following:

• Biomedical Research Investigators: Choose this group to satisfy HSRO CITI training requirements for Investigators and staff involved primarily in biomedical research with human subjects.
• Social & Behavioral Research Investigators: Choose this group to satisfy HSRO CITI training requirements for Investigators and staff involved primarily in social and behavioral research with human subjects.
• Students conducting no more than minimal risk research; Choose this group if you want to complete training for both social & Behavioral Research AND Biomedical Research.  It combines both curriculums and is the longest course. Not recommended unless required by a faculty advisor.
• Research with data or laboratory specimens- ONLY: No direct contact with human subjects.

Students conducting their own research should choose their learner group after discussion with the faculty advisor overseeing their research.

If you think the “Research with data or laboratory specimens – ONLY” learner group is appropriate, please contact the HSRO to verify. If a future research activity includes more than data or laboratory specimens, you will need to complete one of the other learner groups before commencing that research activity.

You are free to explore the other curriculums, but only the HSR course from Question 1 will satisfy the requirement for human subject protections training.

Unless you want to explore the other curriculums, check the options for “Not At This Time/No” and then click “Submit.”

If you need to update or change courses, update information, or see what you have completed, click on a link under Learner Tools.

You can stop and start a course at any time; the next time you log in you will be at the point where you stopped.

Complete all components with a passing grade, and your completion will be recorded and stored by CITI. Novelution will automatically receive the information that you have completed a course.  It can take 24-48 hours for it to show up in the Requirements panel of your IRB Protocol.  You do not have to upload any certificates unless you are an external researcher and not part of RIT. External researchers can upload their certificates in the Additional Documents panel of their IRB protocol. 

The Primary email address in your Novelution User Profile (found in the General Information section) must be the same email you use with the CITI Program or the information will not transfer. 

Keep your login and password information for future reference. The certificate will be valid for three years, and you can access it at any time by going to My Reports.

This Section offers a curated selection of PowerPoint presentations designed to demonstrate best practices and knowledge. 

Protecting Research Subjects - November 2024