Education Program
Gold Standard
of Professional Online Research Certification
AOFIRS is the World's Leading Provider for imparting Internet research education & training, leading to their credentialing. Our programs are accessible online 24x7 in Over 80 Countries...
Professional Research Certifications
The Association's Education System is a combination of Professional Research Training Programs for Knowledge Professionals and Information Users who prefer to conduct their research on the Internet.
Our certifications' goal is to educate and train online researchers, who now form a large group of people involved in online research work. In the absence of other formal training in this field, AOFIRS offers the most in-demand career certification of "Certified Internet Research Specialist" (CIRS) for professional online research careers. Another training program for a career in Online Investigative Research is now available for those who need to know how to use the Internet for investigations and information verification. The Association also provides short courses with certificates of course completion, popularly known as COP (Certificate of Proficiency).
Certified Internet Research Specialist (CIRS)
Professional Certification Program
The CIRS™ is the first of its kind - A Gold Standard Certification for Practitioners of Online Research. This course is developed as a Self-study Training Guide to assist you in preparing for the CIRS examination. The training guide book is most suitable as a Practical Guide or Reference for anyone who uses the Internet as a primary tool for information gathering - This course will teach you how to build complex search queries and search tools in a practical way. If you become a CIRS™ you are expected to be knowledgeable in selecting the best search tools and be proficient in building Internet search queries. You would obtain a sufficient understanding of Internet Laws and related ethical issues. This program is available as self-study as well as online training classes. This course does not require any prior knowledge or research experience.
Web Search Methods & Techniques - Certificate of Proficiency (COP)
Live Online Classes - Certification Program for Skill Development
The Web Search, Methods, and Techniques Training course explains the importance of online search and teaches you how to conduct effective internet searches. You will learn advanced search methods and techniques, as well as how to use Advanced Search Operators and Effective Search Phrase to construct complex web search queries in a variety of situations and search needs. - This learning program focuses on teaching with practical examples while adhering to certain rules, conventions, and methods that are only used by experts in professional online research work today. This program's topics address questions such as, "What makes the Internet work?" And how do we differentiate between a Web Browser and a Search Engine? What is a Web Application, and how does the search process read Web Pages from a Textual Database? How does an Internet search engine direct us to the information we require? , What is the process by which the search engine reads Web pages? What are some of the methods by which an online researcher chooses search operators, notations, and symbols when creating complex search query strings? - Students are introduced to methods of online investigative research. It teaches you how to find social media contacts, track down emails, track down trolls, and conduct online due diligence on people and businesses. The “Certificate of Proficiency” (COP) in “Web Search Methods & Techniques” covers Module 1 and 2 of CIRS™ exams also. Students can apply for Credits (Exemption) when appearing for CIRS™ later.
Online Investigative Research - Certificate of Proficiency (COP)
Live Online Classes - Certification Program for Skill Development
This course is designed for online investigators, government agencies, human rights activists, PI’s and law enforcement personnel’s, lawyers, HR for background checks and verifications, investigative journalists Etc. The course teaches several approaches on finding information pages and data about persons, relationships, businesses, assets and events for investigative purposes. This course will teach students how to develop "deep search queries" in complex web search through illustrations and hands-on simulations. – Various methods, tools, and software applications used in online information forensics will be introduced. A student will learn techniques for verifying legitimate and authentic profiles, websites, and how to distinguish between fake news and fake videos. This guide is for you if you are interested in tracking corporate ownership and corruption, web page activity, or mapping political influence.
Who can use these Certification?
These Certifications are used by anyone searching the Internet for Free Information sources and valuable online databases that provide reliable and relevant information. Professional Service Providers (such as Lawyers, PI's, Financial Analysts, Writers, and so on), Corporate Executives, Entrepreneurs, and Government and Non-profit Associations are one of the certified professionals.
Corporate & Business
- Senior Business Executives
- Financial Advisors
- Business Consultants
- Retailers and Wholesalers
- Bankers
- Insurance Companies
- Public Companies
- Investors, Shareholders
- Private Companies SMB to Large Size Corporations
Professional Researchers
- Marketing, Advertisement, and Sales
- Marketing Researchers
- Librarians
- Clinical Researchers
- Legal Researchers
- Patent, Copyrights and
Intellectual Property - Company Trends and
- Business Intelligence
- Market Researchers
- Financial Market and Stock
- Researchers
Professional Advisors
- Lawyers, Accountants
- Financial Analysts
- Mortgage Brokers
- Insurance House's
- Business Development Advisors
- Private Investigators
- The Government
- Semi-Government Institutions
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Military Personnels
Independent Contractors
- Freelancer
- Individuals between Jobs
- Independent Researchers
- Web Researchers
- Research Hobbyists
- Stay at Home Mothers
- Retirees
- People with Limited Mobility

Industry Validation
Our flagship certification called CIRS [Certified Internet Research Specialists] is by far the only professional credentials that meet this challenge. The CIRS Certification objective is to educate and train online researchers that now form a significantly large group within different market verticals. Our courses and syllabus have thus far proven to have the most comprehensive curriculum that meets current industry requirements.
Benefits of Certification
Professional Credibility
An undertaking by the CIRS qualified research specialists ties you to abide by the Association's “Professional Code of Conduct” that gives its practitiioners a higher level of credibility in their industry of research.
Industry Validation
Professional Certification in Internet Research is the most comprehensive study program recognized in the Online Research Industry. A CIRS Certification demonstrates your extraordinary skills and expertise in conducting a web search.
Career Outlook
The future of the certified Internet Research Specialist (CIRS) is a bright one. Find out if getting your CIRS Certification is the right choice for you.
What Our Members are Saying?
I am a Certified Internet Research Specialist. The courses I took were very extensive and well-structured in terms of curriculum; they covered a lot of ground in ensuring that anyone who does professional research has a thorough understanding of search engines. I am not a technical person, but I have used research in a variety of aspects of my profession. The CIRS course helped me understand how search engines work, how they are configured, and what we need to do to get the information we need. This is a science in and of itself. Yes, I am more confident in using the Internet for my information needs.
The association is an excellent resource for locating online information in your area. Internet searching has become a skill that I needed to learn as part of my ongoing research. I work as a journalist and provide research assistance to my employer on occasion. I've fallen in love with the Association group because of what they provide for people like me. They have a lot of information on their website for searching for information on the Internet. I visit them religiously every single day, especially to read the articles they compile on a daily basis.
I enrolled in the CIRS course to obtain credentials that will assist me in obtaining freelance research work. I assumed that because I assumed I knew everything there was to know about doing Internet research, I didn't need to learn anything else and only needed a certificate. I was wrong in my assumptions, and I discovered how naive I was about a lot of things I didn't know before. Anyone who thinks they know how to conduct research on the Internet without proper training is in for a surprise. Taking the CIRS course is a skill that everyone should have.
I chose to become CIRS Certified because I am proud to be a Certified Internet Research Specialist and wanted to show the rest of the world how much I enjoy my job. I've accomplished a lot in my career, and I wanted to take it to the next level. Aside from that, I've recently seen a lot of job postings for Research Analysts that require CIRS certification. I believe this is the positive path our profession is taking, and I want to be a part of it.