All research team members, including non-University of Arizona affiliated personnel, are expected to complete online training before conducting any activities involving human research. Collaborators and investigators overseen by the University of Arizona IRB through a collaborative Institutional Agreement must have valid human subjects training. Refer to our Single IRB Review guidance for more information. The IRB will not approve protocols where study personnel do not have current, completed human subjects training. The University of Arizona IRB will accept one of the following three methods of training for personnel engaged in research who are not affiliated with the University of Arizona:
- CITI Human Research Training;
- OHRP Human Research Training; or
- Community Partner Research Ethics Training
The University of Arizona investigator is responsible for documenting in the IRB Application which training method will be used for personnel not affiliated with the University of Arizona.
If personnel not affiliated with the University of Arizona have already completed CITI human research training through another institution, that training will be accepted in lieu of the University of Arizona's human subjects training. Investigators must submit a completion certification, including a list of the training modules, for comparison. The HSPP reserves the right to require individuals to take additional training if their current training is not equivalent.
If personnel not affiliated with the University of Arizona have never completed human research training, they can complete the University of Arizona CITI human research training for free. External collaborators not affiliated with the UA can complete this online form to request guest user access to the UA CITI program training system.
Lastly, if the project involves Native Americans, all research personnel must take the University of Arizona CITI course on Native American research. This is a separate training course that the research personnel will need to enroll in.
Personnel not affiliated with the University of Arizona may also complete the Office of Human Research Protection’s (OHRP) Human Research Protection Training. This training program is free and accessible to the public. A printable completion certificate is available at the conclusion of the lesson so personnel can document completion for their records. If this training modality will be used for non-UA affiliated personnel, investigators must submit a copy of this completion certificate for training verification.
Community member-focused and publicly available training is available through the Community Partner Research Ethics Training (CPRET). This research ethics training for community partners involved in studies with human subjects was developed by the University of Pittsburgh, the Community PARTners (Community Engagement Core) of the University of Pittsburgh Clinical & Translational Science Institute, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh's IRB and Community Research Advisory Board.
This approach has typically been used when an outside investigator cannot access the internet to complete online human subjects training. With this method, the PI develops a training plan using the CPRET materials and submits this plan to the UA IRB for review.
In cases where the University of Arizona CITI human subjects training program will not be used, the U of A investigator must submit, as part of the application materials, a description of how they will train the research team. This training is limited to investigators. This training plan should include, at a minimum, the following:
- The ethical principles of the Belmont Report (Respect for Persons, Beneficence, and Justice);
- Discussion of informed consent, the process, the conversation, documentation, and a discussion about the non-coercive nature in which informed consent should be obtained;
- An overview of research with Native American or Indigenous Populations;
- The roles and responsibilities of an IRB;
- Privacy and confidentiality during the research procedures, including collection and storage of research data; and
- General roles and responsibilities of research team members.