Responsible Conduct of
Research (RCR) at WSU
What is RCR?
It is appropriate and ethical
practice of research,
scholarship or creative activity
OR- don’t lie, cheat or steal
However, it is not quite as
simple as that
Is RCR Mandatory at
WSU?
It is currently directed at undergraduate students,
graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The NSF training requirement is mandatory and
applies to all new NSF research proposals
submitted on or after January 4, 2010 and
subsequently funded.
It applies to certain NIH grants such as training
grants where the PI must submit a plan with the
proposal.
As time goes on, other agencies may adopt it.
It is best to go through the training now.
Elements of RCR
(Modules)
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Introduction to RCR
Collaborative Research and Collaborations with Industry
Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership
Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship
Conflict of Interest and Commitment
Mentoring/trainee responsibilities
Research Misconduct and Policies
Peer Review
As required by the nature of the project:
– Protection of Human Subjects
– Welfare of Laboratory Animals
– Safe Laboratory Practices
TRAINING INVOLVES TAKING A NUMBER OF
MODULES RELEVANT TO YOUR ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
Where are the rules and
campus information on RCR?
http://www.wright.edu/rsp/rcr.html
Wright Way Policy 2101
http://www.wright.edu/wrightway/2101.html
Office of Research Integrity (ORI) of NIH“Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of
Research” by Nicholas H. Steneck
http://ori.dhhs.gov/documents/rcrintro.pdf
(Salient points of this workshop come from this
source)
Another source?
Francis L. Macrina “Scientific
Integrity” Third Edition. ASM
press. Washington DC
ISBN 1-55581-318-6
Website companion:
http://www.scientificintegrity.net/
Where Can I Find
Training in RCR?
Workshops such as this one
Selected courses given by WSU faculty
Mentors who have been certified
CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative)
online training
http://www.wright.edu/rsp/rcr.html
How do I Prove that I
Received Training?
• Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) will
issue a certificate noting the module completed
and the date of completion.
• RSP serves as the record keeper. If relocating
to a new institution, you may request that your
training documentation be sent to the new
institution.
• Contact Jackie Frederick, Director of Preaward
Services, RSP, jackie.frederick@wright.edu or
937-775-2664.
Handout
Sample of the Certificate
RSP’s role
• RSP monitors grants,
contracts and cooperative
agreements bound by RCR
rules for compliance.
http://www.wright.edu/rsp
How Quickly Must I
Train?
• Graduate Students and Postdocs:
Within 90 days of signing on for a
covered project. Exception- A student
concurrently taking an approved ethics
class may get credit for the modules
covered upon completion of the class.
• Undergraduate students ASAP. For 90
day projects or less, complete training
within first 30% of the project period.
Student can be mentored by qualified
faculty or receive training through Office
of Undergraduate Research.
Module
Biological
Biomedical
Engineering
Arts &
Human.
Physicial
Sciences
Social &
Behavioral
Res.
Admin.
Intro to RCR
Authorship &
Publication
Collaborative
Res. with industry
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
R
Data Acquisition &
Management
R
R
R
R
R
R
Publication
Practice
Collaborative
Research with
others
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
Conflict of Interest
R
R
R
R
R
R
Mentoring/trainee
R
R
R
R
R
Research
Misconduct
Peer Review
Human Subjects
Lab Animals
Safe Lab Practices
R
R
R
R
R
R
D
D
D
R
D
D
D
R
D
D
D
R
R
D
D
RCR Requirements are Discipline Specific. Wright State Requires the Following*
*Note: the training material is discipline-specific as well.
Codes: R=Required; D= sub-discipline specific. D= refers to certain studies within a
discipline that the student is engaged in. For example, if it is an ecology project, then
they would not need human subjects training or even safe lab practices. If the project
is biomedical in a laboratory then human subjects, lab animals and safe laboratory
practices are required. If the box is blank then it is not required.
A Brief Sampling of What
each Training Module
Provides
In the following section, some of
the hot topic areas in the module
are discussed
Collaborative
Research
• Roles and relationships
• Management
• Across the university and
different universities
• Keeping up your end of the
bargain
Data Acquisition,
Management, Sharing
and Ownership
• Acquisition- How do you collect
the data and protect it?
• Management- Power analysis,
statistics and other problems
• Who can see the data?
• Who owns the data?
Elements of a Data
Management Plan
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Data description
Designated Archive
Access & Sharing
Metadata
I.P. rights
Ethics and Privacy
Archive and Preservation
Storage and Backup This can be for
years after the conclusion of a project
Authorship and
Publication
• What effort qualifies you for
publication?
• Who goes first on the paper?
• Elements of a responsible
publication.
• Practices to be avoided.
Publication Practices
• There are strategies to
publication.
• There is an obligation to
publish.
• If you commercialize, does
that preclude publication?
Mentoring/Trainee
Responsibilities
• Researchers are teachers
• The Student to Faculty Pathway
• Mentors and trainees must spend
the time
• Mentors lead by example
• Trainees must put forth the effort
• Letting go
Conflict of Interest
Conflict of:
Research interest
Financial
Commitment
Personal (eg. You shouldn’t review
the work of someone you dislike
personally)
-------------------------------------Reporting and Managing
Research Misconduct
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Policy 2101
Reporting problems
Responding to problems
Confidentiality
The process
Timeliness
Agency concerns
Cleaning up the mess
Legal issues
Peer Review
• Meeting deadlines
• Assessing quality of
publication
grants
careers
• Judging importance
• Preserving confidentiality
Other Important
Issues
• Protection of human subjects
• Laboratory animal welfare
• Laboratory safety
Questions/Further
Information
Contact Research and
Sponsored Programs:
e-mail: rsp@wright.edu
Telephone: (937) 775-2425
Web:
http://www.wright.edu/rsp/rcr.html
Last updated: 1/24/11