Institutional Review Board and CITI Training

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Human Research Participants Protection is a federally mandated committee. Its purpose is to protect the rights and welfare of all persons recruited to participate in research activities. Institutions that accept research funding from the federal government must have an IRB to review all research involving human subjects, even if a given research project does not involve federal funds.

Note that most of the content on this page is taken directly from the Institutional Review Board website.

Background

The rights and protection of human participants is an important aspect of research in the social sciences. Research must "do no harm" to study participants. Due in part to a history of mistreatment of human participants, universities have established Institutional Review Boards (IRB) to approve research conducted by faculty and students.

The IRB reviews proposals for research involving human subjects. If a study involves human subjects, the primary investigator (PI) will be required to obtain IRB approval before collecting data.

IRB at UWF

UWF policy requires that all educational, training, or research activities involving human participants must be reviewed by the IRB prior to the recruitment of participants and initiation of data collection. This requirement applies to all research-related activities involving human participants at any UWF campus or conducted by any UWF faculty, staff and/or student.

In reviewing proposals, the UWF IRB is guided by the ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report - respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Only research that abides by these principles will be approved by the IRB.

IRB Contact Information

For more information concerning the UWF IRB, please visit the UWF IRB Homepage or contact the Research Compliance Officer at 850-474-3484 or email irb@uwf.edu.

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)

To comply with federal laws, it is the policy of UWF to require that all key personnel involved in the conduct of human subjects research complete training in the protection of human research participants.

Personnel listed on IRB applications are required to complete this training. The required course is hosted on CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative). Investigators, Co-Investigators, Faculty Advisors and Additional Personnel must take either the Social & Behavioral Research Basic Course or the Biomedical Research Basics course based on the research they will be conducting

The training covers topics such as the history of research, informed consent, informed assent, confidentiality, and more. Certificates are granted after completing training modules and passing embedded quizzes. Once a CITI certificate is obtained, it is advisable to save the certificate and print for future use. A CITI certificate is good for three years.

Students must complete CITI training before pursuing IRB approval. Information about CITI training is also available on the UWF IRB website.

Policies and Guidance

IRB Practice and Procedures Manual
Training Requirements
Research Incentives
Common Mistakes in Submitting IRB Applications

IRBNet

UWF houses its IRB Application system online and uses the website IRBNet.org to process all applications. Please note all IRB forms and samples can be found in the Designer section of IRBNet in the drop down Document Library.

All IRBNET Training Materials (Videos and PDFs)- You will need to log in using your UWF credentials
IRBNet New User Registration
Uploading & Submitting your Training & Credentials
New Project Submission
IRBNet Post-Submission Advanced Topics
How to Submit a Subsequent Package- Revisions/Amendments/Continuing Reviews
How to Submit a Final Report