Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training
NIH requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research (RCR).
In addition, NIH requires that training get repeated at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years.
NSF and other funding agencies also require RCR training for the researchers working on their funded projects.
PIs are responsible to ensure compliance of all researchers working on their projects. Instruction may (as approved by the sponsor) take place in a year when the recipient is not actually supported by an NIH grant. Instruction must be documented.
Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, please complete reading of three publications:
- ORI's Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research
- Avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other questionable writing practices: A guide to ethical writing
- On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research, 3rd Ed.
More options to fulfill requirements, based on funding agency:
Undergraduate students should take the online CITI course for RCR and for other topics designated by the project PI.
The Graduate School offers an assortment of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training modules via the Canvas LMS.
Faculty may also attend the following in-person options, or may participate in the development and instruction of an RCR program specific to their discipline or lab.
The NIH
- BMSC 7811 (Responsible Conduct of Research)
- IMMU 7607 (Science as a Profession)
- TXCL/PHCL 7400 (Ethical Issues in Pharmaceutical Science and Toxicology)
The following courses will suffice if supplemented by attending appropriate sessions of the RCR seminar series (described below) for missing topics:
- CLSC 7150 (Ethics & Responsible Conduct of Research)
- CPBS 7605 (Ethics: Computational Bioscience Research)
Attend the interactive Responsible Conduct of Research Monthly Seminar Series developed
by the UCD Office of Regulatory Compliance.
- The Seminar Series fulfills the requirement for agency-required "refresher" training to be taken every four years.
- Students or other researchers who have completed any of the courses listed above are welcome to attend and join in the discussions to explore greater depth and intricacies of the topic.
CITI Training
It is strongly recommended to complete the online RCR training modules from CITI prior to attending these seminars. The background prepares one for a quality
discussion. All personnel and students at CU Anschutz can access the CITI courses:
- Register for CITI if you have not already done so
- Associate your account with “University of Colorado Denver”
- Click on the “View Courses” button once you are associated with University of Colorado Denver
- Click on “Add a Course” at the bottom
- You can then select the courses that you want to complete. Visit COMIRB’s website to find their required trainings.
The NSF
Any of the above will suffice.
Other funding agencies will need to be asked about requirements. Please let us know if you find out that what we offer is insufficient to meet other agency specifications.
Questions?
RCR Training - Monthly Seminar Series
NIH requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research.
Responsible conduct of research is defined as the practice of scientific investigation with integrity. It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research.