Before you can conduct research through GCU, you will first need to complete training modules through CITI. The steps for registering and completing CITI training can be found through the following links:
- CITI Training Information in the DC Network (only accessible by doctoral researchers)
- CITI Training Registration Guide in Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching (CIRT) website
- CITI Training Faculty Registration in the Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching (CIRT) website
Once you have registered for CITI training, you will need to affiliate your account with GCU before you can begin your training. See the Affiliating with GCU header below for instructions.
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To affiliate your account, start by logging into CITI Program.
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From the Home page, scroll down to "Affiliate with Another University."
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From the drop-down menu, select Affiliate with Another University.
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Enter Grand Canyon University and click the boxes next to I AGREE to the Terms of Service of accessing CITI Program Materials and I affirm that I am an affiliate of Grand Canyon University, then select Continue.
After completing this training, you will then apply for IRB approval through iRIS. For more information on that process, see our Help Center section on iRIS.
The training courses in CITI are assigned based on your responses to a series of questions from your initial registration. Most students need to complete the following:
- RCR FOR SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE DOCTORAL LEARNERS
- Students in Social/Behavioral Research
If these modules do not appear, you can try re-answering the initial questions to generate the correct modules. See the header below for instructions.
- First, log into CITI.
- Click View Courses next to Grand Canyon University.
- Scroll down until you can see the "Learner Tools for Grand Canyon University". Then select Add a Course.
- You will be prompted with a series of questions. Answer them according to the instructions below:
- For question 1, select "Yes, I conduct social or behavioral research".
- For question 2, select, "Yes, I am required to complete RCR FOR SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE DOCTORAL LEARNERS."
- For question 3, select, "I am not required to complete the IPS course at this time"
- For question 4 you don't need to select anything.
- Click Submit at the bottom.
CITI Training Validation Error
Once an application for research has been submitted, iRIS checks the CITI website to confirm that the required modules have been completed. You may see the following error message in iRIS if there is a problem with your CITI training validation.
“Training validation failed”
You may also receive an email with the following message:
“Training failed for users on your study. You will need to address these issues and resubmit the form.”
There are three potential causes for this training validation error. See the menus below for instructions on resolving each of the three possibilities.
For your application to be validated, it must be submitted using your GCU email. Please note, you may have created a username to log into your CITI account that is different than your GCU email. As long as the GCU email address is associated with your account, it will validate your application.
If the email address you provided when registering for your CITI account is not your GCU email, you can update it with the following steps:
- Log into CITI at citiprogram.org
- In the upper right corner, click the down-arrow icon next to your name. Then select Profiles.
- Scroll down and locate Institutional Profiles. Find Grand Canyon University and select Edit Profile.
- Update your Institutional email address to match your GCU email ([email protected]), and then click Update. After updating the email, allow 6-12 hours for CITI and iRIS to register the updated email.
Once you have waited 6-12 hours, enter iRIS and retract the application. To retract the application:
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Click on My Studies.
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Click on the Pencil and Pad icon to open your application.
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Click on Retract Submission.
Once the application has been retracted, resubmit the application and the training validation will be cleared.
If you are receiving the training validation error message, confirm that you have passed both of the following modules in CITI as well as all other investigators included on the application:
- RCR FOR SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE DOCTORAL LEARNERS
- Students in Social/Behavioral Research
If you or any of the other investigators in your application have not passed these modules, you will need to retract the application and complete these modules.
To retract the application:
- Click on My Studies.
- Click on the Pencil and Pad icon to open your application.
- Click on Retract Submission.
After retracting, you can resubmit the application and the training validation will be cleared.
If you are receiving the training validation error message, check to ensure that you did not accidentally add your chair as a co-investigator on your iRIS application. If your chair is listed as a co-investigator, iRIS thinks they need to complete CITI Training too.
- Log into iRIS and select My Studies.
- Click the pen and pad icon below to Open your study.
- The Submission page will open. From here you can see if there are any errors. If there is a CITI Training validation error, click the magnifying glass icon within the error box.
- The Submission Tracking page will open. Click the plus sign next to the most recent flagged status event. A description of the error will appear. Look at the names next to “Personnel without valid IRB Initial Submission trainings”. Confirm if the names listed here are all co-investigators. If you’ve added your chair’s name here as well, you will need to remove it.
- Before your chair’s name can be removed, you will first need to retract the study. Navigate to the Submissions page to click the Retract Submission
- Select the Study Management tab and click Key Personnel.
- The “Assign key personnel (KSP) access to the study” page will open. Review the names listed under the Additional Investigators section. If the chair’s name is listed here, check the box next to the name and click Remove.
- Add the chair’s name into Research Support Staff section instead. To do this, click the Add User button to the right of Research Support Staff.
- Look up the chair and click the green checkmark next to their name.
- Select Chair from the dropdown menu. Then click Save Access to the Study.
- Navigate back to the Submissions page and click Resend Submission.
