Human Research Protections Training

Researchers who are not affiliated with Northwestern University are considered external study team members. External study team members should not access the Northwestern University CITI Program or the electronic submission system eIRB+. Activities in eIRB+ should be carried out by an internal study team member.

Training and IRB oversight requirements depend on the researcher's institutional affiliation and role. See the Unaffiliated, Community-Based, and External Collaborators section below and the Study Team Members in eIRB+ page for details.

In 2023, the IRB Office replaced the separate social-behavioral and biomedical tracks with one Human Research Protections (IRB) course. Existing training remains valid until expiration; researchers will enroll in the Human Research Protections (IRB) course when renewing.

eIRB+ Registration

In addition to completing the required training, Northwestern University and affiliated researchers who will be engaged in human research at Northwestern must register for eIRB+, the electronic submission system, and be IRB-approved on the study before engaging in human research activities.

eIRB+ access is limited to internal Northwestern University and affiliated researchers engaged in human research, including interaction with participants or access to their identifiable data. A Northwestern University NetID is required.

Unaffiliated and external collaborators should not obtain a Northwestern University NetID to access eIRB+ or Northwestern's CITI Program training subscription. See Unaffiliated, Community-Based, and External Collaborators for details.

Northwestern University NetIDs

For training records to transfer to eIRB+, the NetID used for CITI must match the NetID associated with the eIRB+ account.
Northwestern University IT does not permit individuals to have multiple NetIDs. If you have more than one, contact the Northwestern University Department of Information Technology to request a NetID merge. Reactivating an existing NetID rather than creating a new one can help prevent integration issues. If you have multiple eIRB+ accounts under multiple NetIDs, submit an eIRB+ Support Form to request deactivation of the duplicate eIRB+ account.

1. Log into CITI through the Northwestern University single sign-on (SSO) by clicking on Log in through my organization.
2. Enter Northwestern University.
3. Select Northwestern University, then select Continue to SSO Login / Instructions.
4. Log in with your Northwestern University NetID and password. Your CITI and eIRB+ accounts must use the same NetID for the systems to integrate. 
5. Locate the Human Research Protections (IRB) course and complete all required modules.
   1. If the course is not listed: Under Learner Tools for Northwestern University, select Add a Course.
   2. Under Question 1, Human Subjects Research, select Human Research Protections (IRB) and follow the prompts.

6. Save your CITI completion certificate.

CITI training records transfer automatically to eIRB+ when you:

• Log in to CITI account through the Northwestern University CITI single sign-on (SSO).
• Complete all required Human Research Protections (IRB) course training modules and receive a completion certificate.
• Use the same active Northwestern NetID for CITI and eIRB+.

Allow 24 hours after completing these steps for the training record to appear in eIRB+.

Basic or Refresher?

CITI uses your training history to determine which course is available when you enroll or renew.

• Basic: Required if you have not completed a required Human Research Protections (IRB) course within the past three years.
• Refresher: Used to renew training completed within the past three years.

Every 12 years: Researchers must complete the initial training modules again.

Course Requirements

Human Research Protections (IRB) at Northwestern University

CITI Course ID: 21087

To check training status in eIRB+:

• Your own status: Log in to eIRB+, select your name in the upper-right corner, and select My Profile.
• Study team status: Open the study application and select the Study Team Training tab.

A current record with a three-year validity period indicates that the Human Research Protections (IRB) training requirement is met.

Important:

• Training is completed only after all required Northwestern modules are completed and CITI issues a completion certificate.
• Allow 24 hours for the record to appear in eIRB+.

For questions, contact the IRB Education Team at irbtraining@northwestern.edu.

Northwestern affiliated researchers are required to complete training through Northwestern University. If you previously completed CITI training through another institution, qualifying modules completed within the past two years may transfer.

Modules qualify for transfer if they:

• Meet Northwestern's Human Research Protections (IRB) training requirements and have matching CITI module IDs; and
• Were completed within two years before you add Northwestern University's Human Research Protections (IRB) course to your CITI account.

To transfer credit:

1. Log into CITI using the Northwestern University SSO.
   1. Use the same NetID as your eIRB+ account.
   2. If prompted about an existing CITI profile, select Yes.
2. Add the Human Research Protections (IRB) course under Northwestern University.
3. Complete any outstanding required modules.
   1. CITI will apply credit for qualifying modules completed through your previous institution.
   2. You must complete any remaining Northwestern-required modules.
4. Save your CITI completion certificate.

Important: Northwestern's Human Research Protections (IRB) Training includes a Northwestern-specific module, so at least one module will remain outstanding after transfer. Additional modules may be required depending on your previous training and completion dates.

If your Northwestern University CITI Human Research Protections (IRB) Training does not appear in eIRB+ within 24 hours of completing the required course through Northwestern’s CITI Program SSO, follow the steps below.

Confirm your NetID in eIRB+ and CITI

1. Log in to eIRB+.
2. Select your name in the upper-right corner, then My Profile.
3. Check the NetID field.
4. Compare it with the NetID you used to log in to CITI through the Northwestern SSO.

If the NetID is incorrect or does not match

• Multiple NetIDs: If you have more than one NetID, contact the Northwestern University Department of Information Technology to request a NetID merge. Refer to the Northwestern University NetIDs section for details.
• Incorrect eIRB+ NetID: If the NetID displayed in your eIRB+ profile is incorrect, submit an eIRB+ Support Form, and select Profile Update. Request that your eIRB+ profile be updated with your current NetID. Only Research IT can make this update through the eIRB+ support process; the IRB Office cannot update eIRB+ profiles.

Log in to CITI through Northwestern SSO

1. Regardless of whether you identified a NetID issue, log in to CITI through the Northwestern SSO.
2. Allow 24 hours for the training record to appear in eIRB+.

See the How CITI Training Syncs with eIRB+ and How to Verify Training in eIRB+ sections for details.

If the issue does not resolve: Email IRB Education

Email irbtraining@northwestern.edu with the subject IRB Training not syncing in eIRB+

Include:

• Researcher's first and last name
• Current/active Northwestern University NetID
• A statement that the IRB training is not syncing in eIRB+ and you are requesting assistance.

For additional CITI-specific assistance, visit the CITI Program Support page for guidance on institutional affiliations, transferring course completions, and adding or removing courses.

The Northwestern University IRB Office accepts CITI Program Human Research Protections (IRB) training completed by Lurie Children’s researchers under Lurie Children’s requirements. Training must be renewed every three years.

eIRB+ Access

Lurie Children’s researchers who are not affiliated with Northwestern University should be listed in Lurie Children's electronic submission system, RASCAL.

If a Lurie Children’s researcher needs access to Northwestern Study Tracker or REDCap, add them to the internal study team list in eIRB+. See the Study Team Members in eIRB+ page for more information.

Verifying Training

Researchers with eIRB+ access can verify their training status by logging in to eIRB+, selecting their name in the upper-right corner, and selecting My Profile.

Study coordinators and staff can verify a Lurie researcher's status in the study application's Study Team Training tab.

Updating Training

To request an eIRB+ training record update, email the IRB Education Team at irbtraining@northwestern.edu with the subject Lurie Children's researcher manual entry.

Include:

• Researcher's first and last name
• Northwestern University NetID
• Attach: Lurie Children’s CITI Human Research Protections (IRB) course training certificate

Unaffiliated, community-based, and external collaborators engaged in human research must complete Human Research Protections (IRB) training and renew it every three years consistent with Northwestern affiliated researchers.

Required training depends on institutional affiliation:

• Researchers affiliated with another institution: Complete the Human Research Protections (IRB) training required by their primary institution.
• Researchers not affiliated with another institution: Complete one of the approved options below.

Training Options for Unaffiliated Researchers not affiliated with another institution:

Researchers without another institutional affiliation may complete one of the following:

• CIRTification: Community Involvement in Research Training Free; offered by the University of Illinois Chicago's Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

The CIRTification Refresher Course: An accepted renewal option for external researchers who previously completed the initial CIRTification training and need to renew their training.

• Human Research Protection Foundational Training: Free; offered by the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP)
• Protecting Human Research Participants (PHRP) Online Training: Fees apply; offered by PHRP Online Training, Inc.

Updating Training

A Northwestern internal study team member must upload the external researcher's training certificate to the Supporting Documents section of the eIRB+ study application.

Before an external researcher begins human research associated with Northwestern University or an affiliate, the Northwestern IRB must determine how the researcher's activities will be overseen.

• Researchers affiliated with another institution: They must obtain IRB or ethics committee approval from their primary institution, or a Northwestern or affiliated PI or designee may submit a modification to add the researcher's institution as a site relying on the Northwestern IRB for oversight. See Northwestern Serving as the IRB of Record for more information.
• Researchers covered by an Individual Investigator Agreement (IIA): The PI is responsible for supporting the external researcher.

Depending on the researcher's affiliation and role, a reliance agreement or IIA may be required. See the Northwestern Serving as the IRB of Record page for details.

External researchers should not access eIRB+. A Northwestern internal study team member must manage their eIRB+ activities. See Study Team Members in eIRB+ for details.

A Northwestern University NetID Does Not Establish Northwestern Affiliation

Unaffiliated and external collaborators should not obtain a Northwestern NetID

A NetID does not establish Northwestern University affiliation or automatically authorize someone who is not an agent of Northwestern or an affiliate to conduct human research or act on its behalf. It also does not automatically grant access to Northwestern resources, including IRB services or the CITI Program subscription.

Veterans Affairs Researchers

Northwestern University accepts Veterans Affairs (VA)-completed Human Research Protections Training for VA researchers engaged in research at Northwestern University or an affiliate. VA researchers who have or will obtain a Northwestern NetID must register for eIRB+ and email their Human Research Protections Training certificate to irbtraining@northwestern.edu.

U.S. Department of Defense and Department of the Navy

Northwestern and affiliated researchers conducting studies sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) or U.S. Department of the Navy (DON) must complete Northwestern University’s Human Research Protections (IRB) training and determine whether the study sponsor requires additional training.