Psychology Institutional Review Board (PIRB)

CITI Ethics Training

All researchers must complete ethics training and demonstrate proof of current certification before collecting data for their research projects. Stanislaus State uses the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online program for this ethics training. The Psychology and Child Development Department requires different modules for students and faculty:

• Students are required to complete the (1) Students-Class Projects-Basic and (2) Responsible Conduct of Research modules.
• Faculty are required to complete the (1) Social and Behavioral Research-Basic and (2) Responsible Conduct of Research modules.

Please follow the instructions below for registering an account with CITI, accessing the required CITI training modules, and acquiring the required training certificates. All certifications must be current. Refresher coursework is required for expired certification.

• Download the Collaborative Institutional Training Training Initiative (CITI) instructions

PIRB Protocol Review

The Psychology Institutional Review Board (PIRB) is responsible for reviewing human subjects research protocols focused on psychology and human development topics. (Please note that there is a University Institutional Review Board (UIRB) that reviews research proposals from disciplines outside of Psychology and Child Development. Please visit the human subjects research website for more information.)

PIRB committee members review applications against strict ethical guidelines to ensure that research is compliant with federal, university, and departmental policies. Demonstration of appropriate CITI ethics training is required BEFORE PIRB review.

The PIRB application form appears below. Please follow instructions carefully. There are also several example applications below for reference. The committee reviews applications during the fall and spring semesters and does not operate during semester breaks. Applications must be submitted by a faculty member to psychologyIRB@csustan.edu. Please anticipate approximately two weeks for application review.

• Application Form (updated 7/28/25)
• Sample Application ONLINE and IN PERSON (updated 7/28/25)
• Sample Application MINORS- normal educational practices (updated 7/28/25)
• Sample Application MINORS- beyond normal educational practices (updated 7/28/25)

Researchers Recruiting Participants via SONA

Please visit the SONA researcher information page for information about seeing up an account to be a researcher and SONA-related deadlines for the semester.