Responsible Conduct of Research
NIH Training Requirements in the Responsible Conduct of Research
National Institutes of Health institutional training grant applications are required to describe formal and informal activities related to instruction on the Responsible Conduct of Research. The RCR program should provide instruction in scientific integrity and/or the responsible conduct of research. No specific curriculum is prescribed, but programs are encouraged to consider instruction in: conflicts of interest, responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects, and data management. NIH also endorses a discussion of the topics from a trainee and institution perspective. Applications without RCR plans are considered incomplete. The following information sources are provided to assist investigators with the development of a training course.
Responsible Conduct of Research Education Committee
The Responsible Conduct of Research Educational Committee (RCREC) website hosts information on RCR topics. RCREC is a non-profit, non-governmental consortium, whose goal is to disseminate information that will facilitate the creation and improvement of instructional programs in RCR. An Internet-based course developed by the RCREC is available for faculty to preview and tailor to their own needs. The course, designed to encourage active learning through group discussions by e-mail, is divided into 8 modules that require active oversight by a course instructor. The topics covered are:
| 1. | Research Misconduct | 5. | Conflicts of Interest and Commitment |
| 2. | Data Management | 6. | Authorship |
| 3. | Use of Animal Subjects | 7. | Publication and Peer Review |
| 4. | Use of Human Subjects | 8. | Collaboration and Mentoring |
Office of Research Integrity RCR Resources
The federal Office of Research Integrity (ORI) website contains numerous educational resources and products. Visit this site periodically as more universities contribute to the inventory. ORI has an excellent Online Learning Tool for Research Integrity and Image Processing.
National Institutes of Health’s Bioethics Resources
This site provides links for those interested in bioethics education, research involving human participants and animals, medical and health care ethics, and the implications of applied genetics and biotechnology. A link to Responsible Conduct of Research is included.
Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty
Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for Postdocs and New Faculty is an instruction manual for investigators preparing to establish their own laboratories. It is a comprehensive document with 13 chapters including how to secure a faculty position, staffing and operating a laboratory, mentoring, time and project management, funding opportunities, publications and intellectual property. The Guide was developed by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Burroughs Wellcome Fund for an intensive training course. UCI has been given approval to provide this to our faculty and postdocs for non-commercial use.
Postdoc Mentoring (RCR)
The Postdoc Mentoring (RCR) document is the UCI statement on mentorship, training and oversight for postdoctoral researchers, including the responsible conduct of research (RCR). It is intended as proposal language to supplement an investigator/departmental plan responsive to this NSF requirement.
