Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Training and Education

USI is committed to promoting integrity in the scholarly endeavors of our faculty, students, and professional staff involved in the pursuit of scientific inquiry and practice. The Office of Sponsored Projects and Research (OSPR) is responsible for encouraging all scholarly efforts while preserving compliance with both ethical and regulated matters.

While responsible and ethical research behavior is generally self-regulated based on shared ethical principles and generally accepted practices, the proposed federal requirement for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training for PHS-funded researchers and national attention to highly publicized cases of professional misconduct has elevated the importance of RCR education. To help promote quality research at USI, OSPR is maintaining this site dedicated to RCR training and education.

RCR Workshops   RCR By Laws   RCR Committee

RCR Topic Areas and Policies

Responsible Conduct of Research training covers a variety of content areas, including:

• Conflicts of interest – personal professional, and financial
  • Conflicts of Interest Policy   
  • Significant Financial Interest Disclosure Policy   
  • Disclosure Form

• Policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices
  • USI's Institutional Review Board   
  • Definition of Human Subject Research
  • Lab Safety and Research Policy
• Research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
  • Research Misconduct Policy
• Responsible authorship and publication
  • Intellectual Property Policy

• Mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
• Collaborative research including collaborations with industry
• Peer review
• Data acquisition and laboratory tools; management, sharing and ownership
• The scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research
• Whistleblowing