Human Subjects Protections Training

Researchers, including research study staff and students, working with human subjects or data and samples from humans must sometimes complete training in human subjects protections to meet the requirements of the organizations they are affiliated with or funders. Training educates researchers about the ethical principles for working with human research subjects and the regulatory requirements for conducting research.

Training Requirements

University of Washington Requirements

The UW and HSD do not currently require that researchers complete training or submit documentation of training as part of the application review process. However, HSD recommends that all researchers who are new to research involving human subjects complete training in the basic ethical principles for working with human research subjects.

Funding Organization Requirements

Many organizations require that researchers working on funded projects complete training. Contact your funding agency to confirm their requirements. Common requirements are:

Senior/key personnel on NIH-funded human subjects research must complete training in human subjects protections. No refresher is required.
More information is available on NIH’s website.
Training Options:

The CITI Program offers a 4-6 hour online course that is free if you are affiliated with UW or collaborating with someone who is affiliated with UW.

Other organizations such as Seattle Children’s offer in-person training for affiliated investigators.

All researchers supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), including faculty and senior personnel, undergraduates, graduates, post-doctoral researchers and research trainees must complete training in Responsible Conduct of Research which contains human subjects protection components.

Training Options:

DOD requirements are complex and vary among components. Researchers should work with the human research protection office of the DOD component to identify any human subjects training requirements and how to fulfill them.

Collaborating Institution Requirements

UW researchers who work with a collaborating institution may be required to complete training to meet that institution’s requirements. Check with the collaborating institution to confirm their requirements. Common collaborators:

Human Subjects Training Options

CITI Human Subjects Protections Course

  • The CITI Program offers a 4-6 hour basic online course appropriate for all research disciplines that is free if you are affiliated with UW or collaborating with someone who is affiliated with UW.
  • The CITI Program also offers a stand-alone refresher option for those who have previously taken the basic course.
  • Review the Web Based CITI Training page for more information on registering for CITI courses.

Human Subjects Protections Training for Community Partners

  • CIRTification: Community Involvement in Research Training is a human research protection training program designed by the University of Illinois Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science (UIC CCTS) especially for community partners who are involved in activities such as recruiting research participants, obtaining informed consent, or collecting data. This training is not for UW researchers who need to satisfy the NIH training requirement. They should take training through the CITI Program instead.
  • CIRTification Data Use and Privacy: UIC CCTS has a Data Use and Privacy Policy and use of the training platform constitutes your agreement to those terms. The UIC CCTS Data Use and Privacy policy allows that UIC CCTS may access user information to operate, maintain, and improve CIRTification. User data and/or statistics may be used for scholarly purposes with appropriate regulatory approvals and/or consent. And when necessary or appropriate, user information may be shared to comply with applicable laws and/or to comply with lawful requests and legal process, including responses to requests from public and government authorities. HSD and the University of Washington provide access to this training ‘as is’ and make no representations or warranties regarding its fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or completeness. Users assume all risks associated with using the training.
  • To self-register:
    • Go to https://training.ccts.uic.edu/
    • Click “register (top right hand corner). Select “I am not from UIC.”
    • Complete the registration form. When asked to select a site, select “University of Washington”.
    • Click “Register” to finish.
    • Visit the Course Catalog. Information about CIRTification will appear. Click “Learn More” and “Enroll” to enroll in CIRTification.

Community-Engaged and Community-Based Participatory Research Course (Optional)

HSD offers an optional training course on Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) through the CITI Program. This course introduces learners to CEnR and CBPR and identifies the ethical and practical considerations particular to the design, review, and conduct of CEnR. This course does not fulfill the human subjects training requirement that funding agencies like NIH expect and should be considered an optional add-on training.

The course is free if you are affiliated with UW or collaborating with someone who is affiliated with UW. See the Web Based CITI Training page for more information on registering for CITI courses.