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CITI Online Training Modules

UPDATE TO COURSES - SEPTEMBER 09,2024

If personnel already completed the "old" CITI courses to their account, then those courses' certificates can count in place of the newly created courses. For example, the "AREA III research ethics" course is equivalent to the "Non-animal Responsible Conduct of Research." The personnel who have yet to add any of the courses to their account should add the new courses based on the guidelines below.

What is CITI?

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) provides training for committee members (IACUC, PHSC, IBC, and RAD), principal investigators, students, and staff with online instruction that documents compliance with various federal mandates. These trainings must be renewed every four (4) years.

CITI Certificates and Research Protocols

Once all trainings are completed, please share your certificates with your Principal Investigator (PI). CITI certificates of all associated personnel must be kept in a secure location that can be easily accessible by research staff. The PI of record must certify personnel have been trained and verify training pre-dates participation in the project.

Protocols cannot be approved until all associated personnel have completed the required CITI trainings.

Note: CITI defines the specific classes as "modules," and the entire modules are grouped into "courses"

Completing Required CITI Trainings

CITI trainings are not assigned by the Research Compliance office. To determine the trainings appropriate for you, please follow the directions outlined in the sections below depending on whether you have a CITI account and what research committee (IACUC, IRB, IBC) review your protocol(s).

If you are listed as personnel on protocols for various committees, please make sure to complete the required trainings for every applicable committee.

 Getting Started in CITI
Table has dropdown for specific research committees.
I don't have a William & Mary CITI account. How do I take the CITI courses?

Required courses will NOT automatically appear in your account. You will need to follow the instructions below to ADD the required courses to your account.

  1. Visit https://www.citiprogram.org/ and register
  2. Click "Select your Institutional Organization" and type in "William & Mary"
  3. Check the two boxes that appear, then click, "Create a CITI Program Account"
  4. Enter your log in credentials
    • Please use your legal name and W&M email address when completing the form
  5. Complete your security questions
  6. Add your country of resident and answer the last question. (You do not need to enter an ORCID)
  7. Click "Finalize Registration"
    • Unless directed otherwise, CITI courses are not used for Continuing Education
  8. Select your courses by answering the enrollment questions based on your committee association (see sections below)
    • Updates to the enrollment questions are in the works.
    • Please see your PI to ensure you complete the correct trainings. If you are still unsure, please reach out researchcompliance@wm.edu
I already have a William & Mary CITI account. How do I add more courses?

Required courses will NOT automatically appear in your account. You will need to follow the instructions below to ADD the required courses to your account.

  1. Go to CITI and log in
  2. Under "Institutional Courses" in the middle of the webpage, select "View Courses" next to "William & Mary"
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page until you see "Learner Tools for William & Mary" and click "Add a course"
  4. Retake the enrollment questionnaire.
    • Please see the section below, "Courses Required by Research Committee"  to determine which courses you will need to take based on the research committee and your role.
  5. For visual instructions, please view "Adding More Courses to Your CITI Account"
Access CITI Website
Required Courses per Committee

Click on each header below to review course enrollment instructions for each committee. If your research protocol will be going to different committees, make sure that you add all the applicable courses to your account.

Note: Investigators are any personnel who are directly involved in the research protocol (i.e. staff, students, etc.).

UPDATED: 09/09/2024

Table has dropdown for specific research committees.
IACUC (Animal Oversight)

Personnel involved in the care and use of any vertebrate animals in the laboratory or the field must complete specific CITI modules.

Use the outline below to answer the questions in "Enrollment Questionnaire." After answering the questionnaire, the courses will be added to your account. 

  1. Question 1: Skip
  2. Question 2: Skip
  3. Question 3: Select one of the following choices based on your association
    • IACUC Chair
      • IACUC Chairs also need to take the "IACUC Member"
      • Must also take "IACUC Investigator" course if they have IACUC protocols
    • IACUC Members
      • Includes all members of IACUC - chairs, non-affiliated members, etc.
      • IACUC Members also need to take the "IACUC Investigator" course if they have IACUC protocols
    • IACUC Investigator
      • Includes ALL IACUC Investigators, staff, and students
      • IACUC Members also need to take this course if they have IACUC protocols
  4. Question 4: Select a course dependent on your research area
      • Take if you plan on using mice and/or rats that require post-operative care
  5. Question 5: Skip
  6. Question 6: Skip
  7. Question 7: Select "Responsible Conduct of Research – Animal Subjects"
  8. Question 8: Select "Conflict of Interest - Basic"
  9. Question 9: Export Compliance/Controls
    • Take if you are working with international collaborators or foreign nationals based in the US or elsewhere. Also includes if you will be sending information/materials outside of the US
    • Please see the header "Export Compliance Course" for more details
  10. Once you've completed the questionnaire, you should see the following courses added to your account if you're...
    1. An investigator (student, staff, faculty)
      1. Investigators, Staff and Students - IACUC
      2. Responsible Conduct of Research – Animal Subjects
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
      4. At least one of the following courses (if applicable to your research)
        1. Working with Amphibians in Research Settings - IACUC
        2. Working with Fish in Research Settings - IACUC
        3. Working with Mice in Research - IACUC
        4. Working with Mice in Research - IACUC
        5. Working With Zebrafish (Danio rerio) in Research Settings - IACUC
        6. Wildlife Research
        7. Reducing Pain and Distress in Laboratory Mice and Rats - IACUC
      5. Export Controls (if added; not required for all)
    2. A committee member
      1. IACUC Committee Member
      2. Responsible Conduct of Research – Animal Subjects
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
    3. IACUC Chair
      1. IACUC Chair
      2. Responsible Conduct of Research – Animal Subjects
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
IRB (Human Ethics)

Institutional Review Board (IRB) training is required by all personnel involved in human subject research before the commencement of research.

Use the outline below to answer the questions in "Enrollment Questionnaire." After answering the questionnaire, the courses will be added to your account. 

  1. Question 1:
    • IRB Chair
      • Chairs also need to take the "IRB Member"
      • Must also take "IRB Investigator" (either Social-Behavioral or Biomedical) course if they have IRB protocols
    • IRB Members
      • Includes all members of IRB- chairs, non-affiliated members, etc.
      • IRB Members also need to take the "IRB Investigator" (either Social-Behavioral or Biomedical) course if they have IRB protocols
    • IRB Investigators: Social & Behavioral Research
      • Select if your work primarily focuses on social-behavioral research
    • IRB Investigators: Biomedical Research
      • Select this course if you are studying an atypical clinical population
      • Examples would be: stroke recovery, older participants and memory testing, research with language deficits, etc.
  2. Question 2: If you are working with a protected population or international researchers, please select ALL the courses below that apply to your protocols. "Good Clinical Practice" is required if your study is/will be funded by the NIH.
    • Social-Behavioral Research with Prisoners
    • Social-Behavioral Research with Children
    • Social-Behavioral International Research
    • Biomedical Research Involving Prisoners
    • Biomedical Research Involving Children
    • Biomedical Research Involving Pregnant Women, Fetuses, and Neonates
    • Good Clinical Practice
  3. Question 3: Skip
  4. Question 4: Skip
  5. Question 5: Skip
  6. Question 6: Skip
  7. Question 7: Select "Responsible Conduct of Research – Human Subjects"
  8. Question 8: Select "Conflict of Interest - Basic"
  9. Question 9: Export Compliance/Controls
    • Take if you are working with international collaborators or foreign nationals based in the US or elsewhere. Also includes if you will be sending information/materials outside of the US
    • Please see the header "Export Compliance Course" for more details
  10. Once you've completed the questionnaire, you should see the following courses added to your account if you're...
    1. An investigator (student, staff, faculty)
      1. One of the following:
        1. Area II: Social & Behavioral Research Investigators - PHSC
        2. Area III: Biomedical Research Investigators - PHSC
      2. One of the following if it applies to your research:
        1. Social & Behavioral Research with Prisoners
        2. Social & Behavioral Research Children
        3. Social & Behavioral Research International Research
        4. Biomedical Research Involving Prisoners
        5. Biomedical Research Involving Children
        6. Biomedical Research Involving Pregnant Women, Fetuses, and Neonates
        7. CITI Good Clinical Practice Course
      3. Responsible Conduct of Research – Human Subjects
      4. Conflict of Interest - Basic
      5. Export Controls (if added; not required for all)
    2. A committee member
      1. IRB Committee Members - PHSC
      2. Responsible Conduct of Research – Human Subjects
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
    3. IRB Chair
      1. IRB Chairs - PHSC
      2. Responsible Conduct of Research – Human Subjects
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
IBC (Hazard Safety)

CITI training related to handling biohazards is required for all lab personnel working on a project that requires IBC approval.

Use the outline below to answer the questions in "Enrollment Questionnaire." After answering the questionnaire, the courses will be added to your account.

  1. Question 1: Skip
  2. Question 2: Skip
  3. Question 3: Skip
  4. Question 4: Skip
  5. Question 5: Select all the choices that apply to your role.
    • IBC Chair
      • Chairs also need to take the "IBC Member"
      • Must also take "IBC Investigator" course if they have IBC protocols
    • IBC Committee Member
      • Includes all members of IBC - chairs, non-affiliated members, etc.
      • IRB Members also need to take the "IBC Investigator" course if they have IRB protocols
    • IBC Investigator
      • Includes ALL IBC Investigators, staff, and students
      • IBC Members also need to take this course if they have IBC protocols
    • IBC Officer or Environmental Health and Safety Professional
      • Course is only for the EH&S Director or professional serving on the IBC board
  6. Question 6: Select all the choices that apply to your research.
    • Animal Biosafety
    • Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
    • Human Gene Transfer Trials
    • OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens
    • Select Agents, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism
    • Shipping and Transport of Regulated Biological Materials
    • USDA Permits
    • Nanotechnology 
  7. Question 7: Select "Non-human/non-animal Responsible Conduct of Research" unless you are working with animals or humans.
  8. Question 8: Select "Conflict of Interest - Basic"
  9. Question 9: Export Compliance/Controls
    • Take if you are working with international collaborators or foreign nationals based in the US or elsewhere. Also includes if you will be sending information/materials outside of the US
    • Please see the header "Export Compliance Course" for more details
  10. Once you've completed the questionnaire, you should see the following courses added to your account if you're...
    1. An investigator (student, staff, faculty)
      1.  Training for Investigators, Staff and Students Handling Biohazards - IBC
      2. One of the following if it applies to your research:
        1. Animal Biosafety - IBC
        2. Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
        3. Human Gene Transfer Trials
        4. OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens - IBC
        5. Select Agents, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism - IBC/Safety
        6. Shipping and Transport of Regulated Biological Materials - IBC/Safety
        7. USDA Permits
        8. Nanotechnology
      3. Non-Human-Non-Animal Responsible Conduct of Research
      4. Conflict of Interest - Basic
      5. Export Controls (if added; not required for all)
    2. A committee member
      1. Institutional Biosafety Committee Member Course - IBC
      2. Non-Human-Non-Animal Responsible Conduct of Research
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
    3. IBC Chair
      1. IBC Chair
      2. Non-Human-Non-Animal Responsible Conduct of Research
      3. Conflict of Interest - Basic
No Committee Affiliation - Responsible Conduct of Research / Conflict of Interest

If you are performing research and are not submitting protocols for review to a particular committee, you are still required to take CITI training per federal regulations. You are advised to take any additional coursework that pertains to your area of study.

Use the outline below to answer the questions in "Enrollment Questionnaire." After answering the questionnaire, the courses will be added to your account. 

  1. Question 1: Skip
  2. Question 2: Skip
  3. Question 3: Skip
  4. Question 4: Skip
  5. Question 5: Skip
  6. Question 6: Skip
  7. Question 7: Select "Non-human/non-animal Responsible Conduct of Research" unless you are working with animals or humans.
  8. Question 8: Select "Conflict of Interest - Basic"
  9. Question 9: Export Compliance/Controls
    • Take if you are working with international collaborators or foreign nationals based in the US or elsewhere. Also includes if you will be sending information/materials outside of the US
    • Please see the header "Export Compliance Course" for more details
Export Compliance CITI Course

Modules within this course are required by all personnel if your research project involves international collaborators, foreign nationals (based in the US or elsewhere), or if you will be sending information/materials outside of the US.

Required Modules:

  1. Introduction to Export Compliance
  2. Export Compliance for Researchers
  3. Export Compliance and United States Sanctions Programs
  4. Supplemental Modules (take the additional courses below depending on your research project)
    1. Export Compliance When Using Technology in Research
      • Required if you are working with technology
    2. Export Compliance and Biosafety
      • Required if you are working with biohazardous materials
    3. Export Compliance for International Shipping
      • Required if you are planning on sending items outside the US
    4. Export Compliance and Purchasing
      • Required if you are purchasing items from outside the US
    5. Export Compliance and International and Foreign Waters
      • Required if you are working in international waters (e.g. marine science)
    6. Export Compliance and Collaborations
      • Required if you are collaborating with international individuals
    7. Export Compliance and Distance Education
      • Required if there will be some form of teaching/mentoring from a collaborator abroad/outside the US