Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

Ethical and responsible conduct of research is essential for excellence, as well as public trust, in science. 水多多导航 supports its research community in upholding the highest ethical and professional standards in carrying out its work and imparting these standards to future generations of scientists and researchers through education and training. 水多多导航 offers RCR training in alignment with the requirements provided in , as updated by the America COMPETES Act (2022), as amended by the CHIPS and Science Act (2022), and as detailed in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) (PAPPG).

Responsible Conduct of Research is "good science"

NIH recognizes that Responsible Conduct of Research is 鈥済ood science鈥. According to NIH policy, RCR 鈥減romotes the aims of scientific inquiry, fosters a research environment that enables scientists to work together toward common goals, and promotes public confidence in scientific knowledge and progress for the public good.鈥

RCR FAQs

NSF Training Requirements

Investigators and all key personnel listed on an NSF-funded proposal must complete the online RCR training through CITI program.

NIH Training Requirements

At least 6-8 hours of in-person training must be completed by all investigators and key personnel who are listed on an NIH-funded proposal.
Other Research Training Requirements

Other Research Training Requirements

Additional training must be completed depending on the funding source and their requirements.

RCR Frequently Asked Questions

水多多导航 currently requires the RCR course to be taken every four years.

NSF Fellows conducting research at 水多多导航 who are supported by the NSF to conduct research are required to take RCR training.

Generally, yes. The National Science Foundation (NSF) uses the term Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) where other agencies, sponsors and organizations use Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). The principles and goals are the same: disseminating knowledge with rigor and reproducibility while creating a research environment characterized by integrity. 水多多导航 uses the terms interchangeably.

RCR training is required for all researchers (undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and other senior personnel) who are or will be supported by NSF and are working on projects for proposals that are submitted or due on or after July 31, 2023.

For CITI, creating a username and password is a self-registration process. 水多多导航 uses Single Sign On for accessing the CITI Program.

Report your department with which your PI on the NSF grant is affiliated.

You are required to complete the training PRIOR TO participating in NSF sponsored programs.  水多多导航 requires the completion of RCR training before any funding is released.

Currently PIs do not need to document anything in the proposal on RCR training. 水多多导航 assures NSF that it has a plan to provide and oversee RCR training and that such training addresses mentor training and mentorship.

Yes, effective July 31, 2023, RCR training requirements (that were once limited to students and postdocs) now apply to all researchers supported by the NSF who are working on research projects: not only undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, but also faculty and other senior personnel participating on these awards.

No. Only researchers (undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and other senior personnel) who are supported by NSF are subject to the RCR training requirement.

Only researchers (undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and other senior personnel) supported by the NSF are required to take RCR training through 水多多导航.

If you receive funding from the NSF, you are required to complete RCR training while at 水多多导航. Previous RCR training completions completed through the CITI Program may be used to meet the 水多多导航 requirement.  Contact Research Integrity & Compliance at researchcompliance@smu.edu for additional assistance.

The NSF provides robust and comprehensive resources from their Office of the Director (OD) on RCR. They review a broad range of topics, including emerging trends and requirements, that range from rigor, reproducibility, and integrity to peer review, disclosure, intellectual property and foreign influence, as well as the fair and respectful treatment of students and colleagues. 

 

Policy, Regulation, and Guidance

  • National Science Foundation’s (NSF)
  • National Institute of Health (NIH) Notice Number: , “Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Related Resources

  •  (National Academy of Sciences): provides additional information on the responsible and ethical conduct of research provides additional information on the responsible conduct of research.

Research Misconduct Resources

  • The Lab - Avoiding Research Misconduct - an interactive movie by the US Department of Health & Human Service’s Office of Research and Integrity (ORI)
  • ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research, Revised Edition (Aug. 2007) - Nicholas H. Steneck, Ph.D., Illustrations by David Zinn (PDF)
  • On Being A Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct In Research, Third Edition - Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2009.  A suggested resource from ORI, by National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 
  • Misconduct of Others: Prevention Techniques for Researchers - Jane A. Steinberg. Observer, a publication by the Association for Psychological Science, Vol. 15 No. 1 (January 2002)