HRPP Training

CITI Program

Montclair State University requires that all faculty, staff, students and visitors who conduct human subjects research (HSR) must complete an initial training program on the protection of human participants. The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) is a web-based training platform that was founded in 2000 as a collaboration between the University of Miami and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Montclair State University joins more than 1,500 institutions and organizations and 2.8 million people committed to research ethics.

Individuals who conduct research include but are not limited to:

  • all Principal and Co-Principal Investigators
  • any individuals who are
    • listed as a research team member or study personnel in a Cayuse application
    • individually named on a grant or contract application
    • named in any documents related to the proposed project (e.g., informed consent documents, recruitment materials)
    • permitted to obtain individually identifiable Private Health Information (PHI)

The Principal Investigator is responsible for ensuring that all members have completed the HSR Students/Faculty Basic Course in CITI. For any research team members who are not affiliated with Montclair, please upload completion documentation of their institution's HSR training. 

Please follow the CITI Registration Instructions for new and returning users to register for the appropriate HSR course(s): Montclair State University CITI Registration Instructions

CITI FAQ's

It is not recommended that you try to take the CITI course in one sitting. The CITI program is designed so that you can easily exit and re-enter modules at your convenience. The estimated time for completion is anywhere from two to four hours.


 

After completing a course, your learner menu will display an option for “print” under status for the course.

If you do not see the course on your Main Menu, click on the link called “previous coursework completed” to access older course completion reports.

Your initial human subjects training is valid for three years. CITI will send you an automatic email reminder with ample time to complete the refresher modules. The refresher modules are significantly shorter than the original modules taken for the initial course. The first refresher course is required at three years after initial completion, and the second refresher course is required at six years after the initial completion. After the second refresher course is completed, certification is valid for 10 years, at which point the initial course must be taken again. 

Returning CITI users may simply log in to the CITI website and affiliate with Montclair State University to assess if the training completed is equivalent with the required University training. Some users may have to take additional modules.

To affiliate with Montclair State University after login to CITI:

  1. From your main menu click on the link “affiliate with another institution.”
  2. Choose Montclair State University from the appropriate drop down menu.
  3. Answer the member information questions required by your newly affiliated institution.
  4. Enroll in the course(s) required by your newly affiliated institution.

Not only will the CITI program improve the human subjects protections training you receive, but it also allows for added protections that permit you to take modules specifically suited to your research. For researchers working in specific areas or with specific populations, we may require additional modules, i.e., if you are doing research in elementary or high schools, we may require that you take a specific module as part of your training before receiving approval to work with those populations of participants.

For projects that are federally funded, or working with different study populations, you may be required to take additional courses. Please send an email to reviewboard@montclair.edu to verify that you have completed all of the courses required of you. 

The majority of CITI trainings include modules requiring users to watch educational videos, which may be problematic for researchers with visual impairments and/or sensitivities. As an alternative, CITI offers audio-visual formats, in addition to its classic formats, for most courses. In the audio-visual format, a slideshow presentation replaces actual videos, with the option to turn on audio narration as well. For instructions on how to turn on audio-visual format, as well as a list of CITI courses that offer it, please refer to the CITI website.