Training

Why is training in human subjects protection important?

The principles of protection of human participants in research were established in the Belmont Report in 1979. The Belmont Report, prepared by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, identified three principles essential to the conduct of research with humans: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. The links below provide additional information about research studies that violated the rights of vulnerable groups of human subjects, along with federal documents concerning the protection of human subjects.

Who should take the training on human subject participation?

Any research involving humans or human tissues conducted under the auspices of Trevecca Nazarene University must be reviewed by the Trevecca Nazarene University Institutional Review Board (IRB). Research with minimal involvement of human participants, such as surveys or questionnaires, require some procedural IRB review. Anyone whose research project requires IRB review must submit a completed certificate indicating that he or she has completed the training.

The following people may require training, depending on their research:

  • Doctoral students
  • Doctoral advisers
  • Bachelor of Management and Leadership (BML) students whose thesis research involves human subjects
  • BML thesis advisers
  • Students conducting non-class-related research under the guidance of a faculty member
  • Researchers applying to use Trevecca Nazarene University's students, faculty, staff or administrators in their research

How can I be trained in human subject protection?

A free, web-based course called the CITI Program is available for all Trevecca researchers. The training course presents information about the rights and welfare of human research participants and describes the responsibilities of the investigator to minimize risk to them. ALL researchers must complete the training course. You will have the option of printing a certificate of completion at the end of the course. The certificate of completion must be printed out, signed, dated, and attached to the proposal that is submitted to the IRB. 

Instructions for completing the CITI Program training:

  1. Use the following link to log in to the CITI Program: CITI Program Login (NOTE: If you are required to enter credentials, please use your Trevecca ID and password. If you receive an Internal server error, clear your browser’s cookies or try the link in a different browser.)
  2. Choose I don't have a CITI Program account and I need to create one. (NOTE: If you don’t see this option, skip to step 4).
  3. Click Submit.
  4. Click View courses.
  5. Click Add a course.
  6. Under Question 1 Human Subjects Research, choose Social & Behavioral Research Investigators. This is the required training. All other listed courses are optional.
  7. Scroll to the bottom (skip questions 2-8) and click Submit.
  8. Click the name of the course to enter it.
  9. Click the Complete “The Integrity Assurance Statement” before beginning the course link. Check to agree with the terms and click Submit.
  10. Click the first module to begin the training. Once you have completed the training and receive your confirmation/certificate, please make sure to save it for future reference.

If you have any question or concerns, please reach out to the IRB Chair at IRB2@trevecca.edu.