Training

Human Subjects Research Training / CITI

What is CITI training?

  • Training on the rules, regulations, and ethical principles governing research involving human subjects
  • A series of online modules and quizzes, taking 4+ hours to complete.
  • Does NOT include HIPAA training. Visit the HIPAA Training Program website or contact the Office of Legal Affairs.

Who should complete CITI training?

  • Required* for all Principal Investigators and Student Principal Investigators, renewal required every 3 years.
  • Strongly recommended for anyone interacting with research participants (consenting, recruiting, data collection, etc.).

How do I complete CITI training?

  1. Visit the CITI training website.
  2. If you are already registered, either with a different institution or for the Graduate School’s Effort Reporting requirement, log in to your existing account. If your registration is with a different institution, you can add an affiliation to UWM (if applicable) from the Main Menu.
  3. If you are not registered, create an account. Click “Register” on the right side of the screen. In the box for Organization Affiliation, enter “University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee” and select it from the list.
  4. If you are taken to a list of affiliated institutions, click “View Courses” for UWM.
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose “Add a course”.
  6. You will be prompted to choose the type of training. Choose IRB Human Subjects Training.
  7. Choose the course option that best fits the type of research you plan to conduct (IRB-Social & Behavioral Researchers (ID: 36171), IRB-Biomedical Researchers (ID: 36169), or IRB-Biomedical and Social & Behavioral Combined Researchers (ID: 36173)). Note: There is also a fourth course for IRB Members. Most researchers don’t need to complete this one, which contains all the modules from the courses above plus a few additional ones.
  8. If you are conducting a clinical trial, you will also need to complete either GCP – Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research (ID: 132564) or GCP for Clinical Trials with Investigational Drugs and Medical Devices (U.S. FDA Focus) (ID: 126159), in addition to one of the IRB courses listed above.
  9. Complete the training. A score of at least 80% is required before a completion report will be issued.

If you have trouble logging in, contact citisupport@med.miami.edu or irbinfo@uwm.edu.

Check your training status in CITI

  1. Log into the CITI training website
  2. At the top, click Records
  3. A list will appear of all training courses you have completed, along with their respective expiration dates.
    • CITI will also email you when your expiration date approaches so that you can sign up for a refresher.

Check your training status in I-Manager

*Note: This only works if your CITI account is associated with your UWM email address. If you used another email address (e.g. Gmail) in CITI, your training will not show up automatically. Send your alternate email address to irbinfo@uwm.edu and we can manually add it to your account.

  1. Log into I-Manager
  2. At the upper right, click [Your name]’s settings.
  3. Click My Expirations.
  4. The type(s) of CITI training you’ve completed will appear here, with the expiration date. If no date is listed, we don’t have a record of CITI training for you. If the date is red (i.e., in the past) then you will need to complete a refresher course.
    • Responsible Conduct of Research and Basics of Effort Reporting courses do NOT fulfill the IRB training requirement. You must have one of the IRB training courses listed above.
  5. If you just completed your training in CITI, it will not appear immediately. Wait 24 hours and check again. If it still doesn’t show up after 24 hours, please contact the IRB office.

FAQs

I completed IRB CITI training at another institution. Do I still have to complete UWM’s training?

I completed IRB CITI training at another institution. Do I still have to complete UWM’s training?

It depends. Each institution selects the modules they require for training. If you have completed another course within the past 3 years and the modules are very similar to what UWM requires, we will accept that training. To find out if your training qualifies, send your completion report listing all modules & quiz scores to irbinfo@uwm.edu. We will review the details and let you know if the other training can be accepted.

What is Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training?

All investigators and staff involved in the conduct, oversight, or management of federally-funded clinical trials must be trained in Good Clinical Practice (GCP). The training is available through CITI. For federally-funded clinical trials, all study personnel will need to complete GCP training prior to IRB approval. GCP training is strongly recommended for study personnel on clinical trials that do not have federal funding.

Do I have to do the training all at once?

No, your progress is saved. You can leave it and come back to it over the course of several days. The total amount of time to complete it will vary based on several factors, but plan on a minimum of 4 hours.

What if I don’t get a high enough score?

You can review any module and retake the quiz until you get at least 80% overall score.

I forgot to print my completion report. What do I do?

You can log back in and print it anytime.

Who needs a copy of my completion report?

  • Keep a copy for your own records.
  • Some funding agencies or other IRBs will request documentation of completed CITI training.
  • You do NOT need to send a copy to the UWM IRB unless it is specifically requested. We have access to all completion reports done through UWM.

I got an email from CITI saying my training has expired. What do I need to do?

Complete the refresher course. Renewal is required every 3 years for PIs and SPIs.

I’m not the PI or SPI. Is there another option for me?

Your PI is responsible for determining the type of training required for your role in the research. This may include the full CITI training or completing select CITI modules, and/or in-person training on the protocol by the PI.

I-Manager Training

Note: These optional courses do not fulfill the requirements for PIs and Student PIs to complete human subjects protection training. Visit the “Human Subjects Research Training / CITI” section on this page for details of the required course.

In-Person Training

IRB Basics

Topics covered in this training session include: a basic overview of the IRB, how to prepare a submission, helpful hints, and a demonstration of I-Manager. Bring a laptop if you want to click along during the I-Manager portion of the training. Repeats approximately monthly during fall and spring semesters. You can visit the Synchronous Training Sessions section on this page for the current schedule and the link to register.

Online User Guides

User Guide for Researchers (PDF)This includes general information about I-Manager, how to navigate the system, and how to create new submissions, amendments, and continuing reviews.
I-Manager PowerPoint presentation (PPT)This provides a basic understanding of the system.
Synchronous Training Sessions

Note: These optional courses do not fulfill the requirements for PIs and Student PIs to complete human subjects protection training. Visit the “Human Subjects Research Training / CITI” section on this page for details of the required course.

Spring 2026 Online Synchronous Training

New IRB Submissions 

This training will provide new researchers with tips on how to complete the IRB application on I-Manager. We will touch on specific sections that are commonly answered incorrectly, what materials to include, and a basic overview of the IRB review process.

Friday, February 13, 2026: 10-11am. Microsoft Teams Link

International Research

Doing research abroad can be a daunting task, and there are many special ethical and practical considerations. Come find out what you need to know – BEFORE you go!

Wednesday, March 11, 2026: 11-12pm. Microsoft Teams Link

Recruitment, Compensation and Online Studies

This training will provide common methods of recruitment, recruitment materials, and tips on how to prevent fraudulent responses when recruiting for research studies online.

Monday, April 6, 2026: 2-3pm. Microsoft Teams Link

Registration for Courses

Please visit the form to register for the course(s) you wish to attend.

In-Class Presentations

We will give presentations to individual classes. To request an in-class training session, send an email to irbinfo@uwm.edu. Include the course title, some date/time options that work for you, and what topic(s) you would like us to cover.

If you would like to request an in-class presentation for a class that meets after 4 pm, please let us know as early in the semester as possible. We may not be able to accommodate all evening class requests.

Previous Courses

The following courses are not being offered this semester, but may be offered again in the future.

Post-Approval Review

Every semester, we select certain expedited and more than minimal risk studies for a post-approval review. What can you expect if your study is selected? We’ll go through the process step by step.

This session provides an overview of informed consent, including how to write a high-quality consent document, the process of obtaining consent ethically, and the practicalities of using virtual procedures. Learn how to obtain consent and what kinds of waivers you might need.

Informed consent is a crucial part of human subjects research. It is your responsibility as a researcher to ensure that all your study participants understand what they are agreeing to. These in-depth workshops will teach you how to obtain truly informed consent. You can sign up for one, two, or all three.

  • Part 1: The consent form
    • This session provides an overview of informed consent with a focus on how to write a high-quality consent document. You’ll learn the art of writing a consent document that your participants can understand.
  • Part 2: The consent process
    • The consent process is not a one-time event that begins with a form and ends with a signature. From recruitment through the end of the study, you’ll learn how to obtain consent ethically and respectfully, and ensure that your subjects are willing, understanding participants. You’ll also have a chance to role-play an informed consent discussion.
  • Part 3: Waivers and alterations
    • In some circumstances, alterations or waivers of consent can be appropriate and necessary to conduct research. Learn when and how to request waivers of consent.

International Research

Doing research abroad can be a daunting task, and there are many special ethical and practical considerations. Come find out what you need to know – before you go!

Ask Us Anything

Join the IRB office staff for an informal session where you have the opportunity ask us anything!

Online Self-Paced Training

Note: These optional courses do not fulfill the requirements for PIs and Student PIs to complete human subjects protection training. Visit the “Human Subjects Research Training / CITI” section on this page for details of the required course.

IRB: Ethics & Foundations

This Canvas course covers the basic regulations and underlying ethical principles of human subjects research, as well as an introduction to the IRB at UWM. At the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify:

  • What the IRB is and why it exists
  • Who makes up the IRB at UWM
  • The importance of informed consent
  • What criteria the IRB uses to review and approve research
  • When IRB review is required

This course is enabled to accept open enrollment. You can self-enroll in the course by visiting the Instructure site.

IRB Submission Process

This Canvas course walks you through how to complete an IRB submission using the new Application Form, released in August 2021. Also included:

  • Determining whether you need IRB review
  • Training requirements
  • Submitting amendments (including using the new amendment process)
  • When and how to submit Continuing Reviews and Reportable Events
  • Tips for informed consent, recruitment, and data collection.

This course is designed to be a handy resource, so you can complete all modules or choose only the sections that are relevant to you. You can also go back as often as you like to review the information. You can self-enroll in the course by visiting the Instructure site.

Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) free online webinars

OHRP is the federal agency overseeing human research subjects protection in the US. They have a number of free webinars on various topics, with new additions several times a year. You can access their webinars by visiting the OHRP site.

When Research Goes Wrong

This self-paced module contains an overview of a number of ethical violations that have occurred in the past hundred years. It also gives the background and basic principles of the Nuremburg Code, the Belmont Report, and the regulations governing human subjects research (45 CFR 46).

Targeted discussion questions at the end of the module are included for instructors who wish to assign this material for their courses.

Visit the self-paced PowerPoint (PPT). After you open the file, click the button to start the slide show.