CITI Training FAQ

To conduct research reviewed by the Institutional Review Board, each investigator must complete online training provided by CITI.

Each investigator must complete a series of two courses in either biomedical or social/behavior research disciplines.

For biomedical, the two courses are:

• Biomedical research
• Biomedical responsible conduct of research course

For social and behavioral sciences, the two courses are:

• Social/behavioral sciences research
• Behavioral responsible conduct of research course

To find your course(s):

• Navigate to the CITI website and log in using the SSO Login Through My Organization
• Select My Courses at the top
• Select View Courses next to South Dakota State University
• Scroll to the bottom and select Add a Course
• Check Human Subjects Research and also Responsible Conduct of Research
• Check "No, I have not completed the Basic Course"

For Social and Behavioral Science Researchers:

• Check Social and Behavioral Research Investigators
• Check Social and Behavioral Conduct of Research Course

or

For Biological Science Researchers:

• Check Biomedical Research Investigators
• Check Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research Course
• Check Stage 1 Basic Course if you have not yet completed the basic or Stage 2 Refresher Course if you have completed the basic course

To revalidate biomedical and/or social/behavioral research, complete the refresher course.

All personnel on an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocol or employed at an SDSU animal facility must complete CITI training. This would include the course Investigators, Staff and Students (Working with the IACUC) and the CITI courses for the species you plan to work with. Instructions for completing this training can be found below.

In your CITI account:

1. Select View Courses under My Courses.
2. Select Add a Course.
3. Answer question one — Animal Care and Use. Click Next.
4. Answer question two appropriately. Click Next.
5. Answer question three and select all animal species that you will be working with.
6. Click Next.

The principal investigator and any co-principal investigators listed on the Institutional Biosafety Committee registration must complete the required training and are responsible for ensuring any research personnel involved with the study have relevant training. The chemical and lab safety training is coordinated by Environmental Health and Safety. The remaining courses are through CITI. Initial biosafety training is required for all personnel listed in the IBC registration along with any relevant courses to the proposed registration.

In your CITI account:

1. Select View Courses under My Courses.
2. Select Add a Course.
3. Answer question one – Biosafety/Biosecurity. Click Next.
4. Answer question two – Basic Biosafety Training and any relevant courses to the proposed registration. Click Next.
5. The course list will now include Initial Biosafety Training and any additional courses selected under Courses Ready to Begin.

U.S. Public Health Service

If you are applying for or have been awarded funding by an agency of the U.S. Public Health Service, take the conflict of interest course.

National Science Foundation

Students and postdoctoral researchers working in activities supported by the National Science Foundation must complete the responsible conduct of research course for their discipline.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Faculty working on USDA-funded research must complete the responsible conduct of research course for their discipline.

Research Security Training

All faculty and researchers identified as senior/key personnel* on a federal grant application for a research and development award must complete research security training within 12 months prior to submitting an application. SDSU employees will meet this requirement by completing the CITI course titled Research Security Training (Combined) (ID: 21604). This course addresses the importance of disclosure, risk mitigation and management, and international collaboration.

Completion of this course is recognized by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Defense, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the US Department of Agriculture as compliant with their respective research security training requirements.

*Senior/key personnel include the program director/principal investigator and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they receive salaries or compensation under the grant.

• Instructions on accessing CITI courses. CITI courses are available free of charge for SDSU students and employees using single sign-on access.
• View frequently asked questions on the government-wide research security training requirement.

Yes, the application will be reviewed but will not be granted final approval until all research personnel have appropriate training. You may remove untrained personnel from your research team and add them in an amendment after their training is complete.

Yes. The principal investigator should ensure that all key personnel remain certified prior to submitting an application for continuing review/renewal.

Yes, research conducted by students or staff must maintain the same high ethical standard as research conducted by faculty.

Yes, the training requirement applies to any human subjects research, regardless of exemption.

Certification is valid for three years. Refresher courses are available for the basic human subjects courses.

The time required to complete each module varies between 10 minutes and 30 minutes. The total time required is estimated to be three to six hours. The course does not have to be completed in one sitting.

The passing score is 70%. The score will be based on the overall score from all the required modules. The quizzes are open book.

The CITI program will issue a completion certificate that you can print or share. Look for the share links in the Main Menu and My Reports sections. Unique share links are also included in the certificates themselves.