CITI Training FAQs
This page contains frequently asked questions about CITI Training requirements
Frequently Asked Questions about CITI Training
Click below for FAQs related to CITI Training. If you are having difficulties with CITI that are not resolved with the guidance below, please send a detailed inquiry to the CITI Helpdesk.
Yes. If individuals are listed under the Personnel tab in HS-ERA with incomplete Human Subjects Protections training, your submission will be returned to ask for proof of training.
HS-ERA occasionally lists CITI as “incomplete” for investigators who completed their training. It may take 24 hours for a recently completed training to feed into HSERA. If this happens when you list yourself in the application, you may upload your CITI completion certificate on the last page of the application under the “Additional documents” field. To avoid this in the future, please confirm that 1) you have completed the training through Penn, 2) took the correct course (Human Subjects Protections) and 3) selected the correct Learner Group (Biomedical Research or Social/Behavioral Research).
If your study meets the NIH definition of a clinical trial, you need to complete GCP training to be compliant with regulatory requirements. The Penn IRB does not review nor track GCP training, and it is not accepted as a substitute for the Human Subjects’ Protection Course. Please contact the Office of Clinical Research (OCR) with questions about GCP training compliance.
Contact OCRAccording to Penn IRB SOPs you do not have to renew your training. However, if you would like an updated certificate or report of completion to reflect that the training does not expire, please view the following guidance.
CITI Training: Update Certification to Reflect Expiration PDFIf a funder (such as the Department of Defense) or another IRB of Record requires more frequent or other training requirements in addition to those that the University of Pennsylvania requires, the investigator is responsible for ensuring that the training is completed for those involved in the conduct of the research. Researchers should work with the funder or IRB of Record to complete their education requirements.
Yes. Individuals added as independent investigators should have completed the Human Subjects’ Protection Course through CITI, their organization, or the training through the Division of Medical Ethics at Penn. The Penn IRB does not accept Human Subjects’ training through the NIH.
Required HSR Training (CITI)