Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
What is Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)?
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has identified nine core instructional areas that are important for the responsible conduct of research:
- Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing, and Ownership
- Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities
- Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship
- Peer Review
- Collaborative Science
- Human Subjects
- Animal Welfare
- Research Misconduct
- Conflict of Interest and Commitment
RCR Training
The ORC provides training on the Responsible Conduct of Research through CITI.
What is CITI?
The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) is an online training program that offers training in human subjects research protections, animal care and use, and responsible conduct of research.
When is RCR training required?
The RCR training requirement applies to new proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 4, 2010, to conduct research, which excludes, for example, conference, symposium, workshop, or travel proposals.
Who must take the RCR training?
NSF expects institutions to be able to verify that those students (undergraduates and graduates) and postdoctoral researchers who receive NSF funds (support from salary and/or stipends to conduct research on NSF grants) will obtain RCR training. However, NSF anticipates that institutions will develop their RCR training programs in a manner that helps prepare the next generation of researchers, including the consideration of risks or other factors associated with student and postdoctoral researcher participation in research.
How do I create a CITI account?
- Go to CITI’s homepage, www.citiprogram.org.
- Click on the red link, “New Users Register Here"
- For question 1, choose “Boise State University” from the list of participating institutions.
- Continue with questions 2-7 to create a user name and password.
- Select your curriculum. You will need to choose modules appropriate to your area of research.
Which training modules should I complete?
The RCR modules are under Question 3 on the curriculum page. (Questions 1 and 2 pertain to human subjects research and animal care and use.) There are four courses available in RCR:
- Biomedical RCR
- Social and Behavioral RCR
- Physical Science RCR
- Humanities RCR
Choose the course that is most appropriate to your area of research. You only need to sign up for one of the four, but can take as many as you would like. Once you have successfully finished the modules in your course, a completion report will be available to document your training. A copy of your training certification will automatically be emailed to the Office of Research Compliance. We recommend that you print a copy of this report for your records. You also have the opportunity to complete a voluntary and anonymous satisfaction survey regarding the CITI training.
If you have questions about using the CITI program, please contact Amy Smith, 208-426-5871.
If you have specific questions about RCR, please contact Judie Mayne, 208-426-5401