“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.” ( NOT-OD-10-019)
The NIH policy, first updated in 2010 under NOT-OD-10-019, requires all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research. This includes the following programs: D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1, KL2, R25, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R. This policy also applies to any other NIH-funded programs supporting research training, career development, or research education that require instruction in responsible conduct of research as stated in the relevant funding opportunity announcements.
In late 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Research Integrity (ORI) gathered feedback from the research community about best practices, challenges, and needs related to teaching RCR and promoting research integrity. As a result, NIH issued revised guidance on instructional format, frequency and timing and subject matter of RCR training (NOT-OD-22-055). Discussion-based instruction in the responsible conduct of research remains a key feature of RCR training and should include substantive face-to-face interaction among participants and faculty.
Note: Conflict of Interest disclosures is also a term and condition of NIH funding.
Who needs RCR training?
- Trainees, fellow, participants and scholars meeting the definition above.
How can this training requirement be met?
- Substantial face-to-face discussions among the participating trainees/fellows/scholars/participants; a combination of didactic and small-group discussions (e.g. case studies); and participation of research training faculty members in instruction in responsible conduct of research are highly encouraged. Eight (8) hours of instruction is required. For Information regarding instructional format, frequency and timing, and subject matter, see NIH OD-22-055
- Subject matter must include the following (topics and bold were updated in 2022):
- conflict of interest – personal, professional, and financial – and conflict of commitment, in allocating time, effort, or other research resources
- policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices
- mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
- safe research environments (e.g., those that promote inclusion and are free of sexual, racial, ethnic, disability and other forms of discriminatory harassment)
- collaborative research, including collaborations with industry and investigators and institutions in other countries
- peer review, including the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality and security in peer review
- data acquisition and analysis; laboratory tools (e.g., tools for analyzing data and creating or working with digital images); recordkeeping practices, including methods such as electronic laboratory notebooks
- secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
- research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
- responsible authorship and publication
- the scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research
- Online CITI training can only be used to supplement the 8 hours.
- The Dilemma Game App is an open resource developed by Erasmus University Rotterdam. It is designed to help facilitate open in-person research integrity discussions and includes individual, small group, and lecture modes.
CITI Webinars:
- The Dilemma Game App: How to Facilitate a Discussion on Research Integrity
- Facilitating Synchronous RCR Training Session
- To watch CITI webinars, enter the online platform. Instructions can be found here.
Resources: