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IRB Training

Dickinson’s institutional policies for the Institutional Review Board (IRB) require that committee members and researchers undertake training so that a) research protocols may be appropriately reviewed for risk and b) researchers minimize risk in the course of conducting their research or classroom protocol. These committee-specific policies allow Dickinson to remain compliant with federal regulations which require such training.

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)

CITI offers web-based IRB/Human Subjects Research training courses plus specialized courses for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) which have been designed by a collaboration of some 3000 universities, colleges, independent research labs, and government agencies. These courses meet Dickinson’s policy requirements. Each CITI course provides bibliographic and other resources which could be incorporated into faculty teaching and research mentoring. The courses contain required as well as optional modules, so this tool can be customized by the faculty researcher to meet the needs of different disciplines or individual projects. It is also possible, if a faculty member desires, to create additional original content.

Students: Download the "step-by-step" account setup, login and course selection instructions for the CITI IRB Training (use your network ID and password). 

Faculty: Download the login instructions (use your network ID and password).

Go directly to Dickinson’s CITI Training Site.

Have a question? Check the CITI Q&A (use your network ID and password).

Still not sure which training you need to take or where to find it on the Dickinson website? Consult the Dickinson Research Training Finder (use your network ID and password). 

Critical Information for All Learners

  1. Make sure you enter your DICKINSON email address only.
  2. Make sure you enter your BANNER ID under “employer ID.”
  3. You may stop and continue your training at any time.
  4. The overall grade for the CITI course must be 80% for it to be considered a successful completion.
  5. You may save a copy of the report for your own files.
  6. If you are taking CITI Training as part of your coursework, forward a copy of your CITI Course Completion Report to your instructor. If you are taking CITI so you can submit an IRB protocol, your Completion Report will be uploaded automatically to the IRB Mentor system.

Deadline Info for Students

Students engaged in summer collaborative research:

  1. You may start the course any time after you and your faculty member agree to collaborate and your faculty mentor has assigned the appropriate course(s).
  2. If you are a summer collaborative research student, you have until end of the first week after the start of the project to complete the course and turn in the certification forms.
  3. Your faculty mentor may direct you to take additional modules in addition to those required by the IRB.
  4. Once you have complete the IRB-required modules, your certification remains active with the IRB until you graduate.

Students engaged in collaborative research during the academic year involving human subjects research protocols:

  1. For the training to be effective and useful, students should undertake the training prior to their involvement with the experimental protocol.
  2. Precisely how and when the training is taken is left to discretion of each faculty member. 
  3. If the student is submitting a protocol, CITI training for IRB entitled "Social and Behavioral Research Students" must be taken
  4. Training certification documents must be uploaded to the IRB Mentor on-line protocol submission system, prior to uploading a protocol to the system.

Students engaged in classroom work involving human subjects research protocols. CITI Training is not required, however:

  1. The instructor may require you to take certain CITI modules.
  2. For the training to be effective and useful, students should undertake the training prior to the initiation of the classroom experiment.
  3. Precisely how and when the training is taken is left to discretion of each faculty member.

Deadline Info for Faculty PIs

  1. Faculty/PIs must take the training prior to creating a protocol for submission to IRB for review. IRB Mentor will not allow a protocol to be created on the system until the CITI certification has been uploaded.
  2. Faculty/PIs who are also IRB members: training modules taken solely for IRB membership will count when training modules for PIs are also taken. A course cross-listed in another group will not need to be taken twice.
  3. The Committee currently sees no need for the faculty member/PI to retake the training once the course has already been taken.

Deadline Info for IRB Committee Members and Departmental Reviewers

  1. Committee members must begin the training immediately upon appointment.
  2. Retraining will be required for committee members (only) after three years (SBR 101) and 6 years (SBR 201).