Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
Training Program Description for Grant Applications
Drafted by BU Office of Research Compliance -- 08/31/2010
Boston University, in partnership with Boston Medical Center, offers the following core
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) instructional programs on both the Medical Campus and
the Charles River Campus:
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Introductory RCR-Online for Undergraduates and Short-term Learners (introduced in 2010)
Advanced RCR for Graduate Students and Post-doctoral Fellows (offered since 2006)
NOTE: In addition, Boston University/Boston Medical Center offers select courses that contain a
complete RCR instructional component within the curriculum. Information about these alternative
RCR instructional programs is available through the Office for Research Compliance (see contact
information listed below).
The Boston University RCR Program maintains a repository of RCR Resources available to both
students and faculty mentors.
1. Format and Content of Core RCR Programs
1.1 Introductory RCR-Online for Undergraduates and Short-term Learners
(effective August 2010)
This is a one-hour online program about:
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Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities
Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing, and Ownership
Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship
Peer Review
Collaborative Science
Research Misconduct
Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment
Human Subjects
Animal Welfare
Research Ethics and the Role of the Scientist
Safe Laboratory Practices
with a quiz composed of randomly-selected questions from a pool of multiple-choice questions.
This introductory program is intended for undergraduates, as well as other students who
participate in a short-term research experiences at Boston University (up to six months). Faculty
mentors are encouraged to take the program and to discuss it with their students.
Additional training is required for all students who will participate in human subjects research,
animal research, or laboratory research, in accordance with the training programs offered by the
Office of Research Compliance in these areas. Information about these programs is available at
the Office of Research Compliance’s Training website, http://www.bu.edu/orctraining/.
1.2 Advanced RCR for Graduate Students and Post-doctoral Researchers (2006present)
Advanced RCR has two components: Advanced RCR-Online Preparation (one hour) and Advanced
RCR-Live (eight hours). The Office of Research Compliance and numerous faculty research mentors,
from departments and centers as diverse as economics, bioinformatics, medicine, astronomy, applied
linguistics, computer science, earth science, physical therapy and many others, work together to present
both an online preparatory powerpoint and quiz (which provides background on RCR) and four live
discussion workshops, which probe case studies in research ethics and responsibility. The program
provides advice on mentorship and addresses questions of integrity in data management, collaboration,
and publication. Boston University procedures relating to scientific misconduct and conflicts of interest in
research are covered. The online program (about one hour) introduces key RCR topics and provides links
to valuable resources and further online educational materials. There is a short quiz. The four two-hour
workshops are to be completed over not more than two years and involved small groups of students and
postdoctoral researchers in facilitated discussion of cases set in diverse fields across the sciences and
engineering. Recommended, but not required, additional readings include modules of an online RCR
program presented by the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) to which Boston
University subscribes.
“Workshop1: “Creating the Research Record and Managing Data: How and Why”
This unit explores data acquisition, data recording, data management, data sharing, and data
presentation. The case studies will involve ethical dilemmas that may arise (in any field of research)
when planning for and creating a proper scientific record and selecting data for presentation.
Workshop 2: "Research Collaborations: ethics, collegiality and agreements"
This unit explores collaborative work, scientific interactions, resource sharing, authorship,
mentorship, proprietary data, collaborations between academia and industry.
Workshop 3: "Publication: What, When, Why, How, by Whom"
This unit explores the duty to publish and the multiple responsibilities of authorship, who should be
an author, and peer review.
Workshop 4: "Objectivity in Research: Oversight of Conflicts of Interest and Scientific Misconduct"
This unit explores institutional procedures related to (1) reporting of "scientific misconduct" and (2)
managing conflicts of interest affecting research that may arise when University researchers have
financial interests that may be affected by their research.
Each session is co-led by the Office of Research Compliance and volunteer faculty members.
Trainees are seated in small groups (8 to 10 persons each) for discussion of two case studies. Each
group has a discussion facilitator from the faculty or a qualified post-doctoral fellow. Discussion
facilitators receive a written commentary on each case study, and participate in an hour of training
and discussion in advance of the session. Session leaders periodically solicit reports from the groups
in order to emphasize the key considerations and basic standards of research integrity.
2. Faculty Participation
2.1 Introductory RCR -Online for Undergraduates and Short-term Learners
All faculty members are encouraged to review the program, to direct their trainees to complete the
program (and quiz), and to discuss it with their trainees as part of their mentorship.
2.2 Advanced RCR for Graduate Students and Post-doctoral Researchers
Any faculty member, or post-doctoral fellow recommended by a faculty member, may register to
participate as a small group discussion facilitator in this program. Facilitators receive one hour of
training prior to the session in which they will facilitate. Since 2006, over 300 BU faculty members
have participated as discussion facilitators.
Participation as a faculty discussion facilitator is encouraged as a way to demonstrate continuing
education in RCR.
2.3 Responsible Conduct of Research Education Advisory Committee (RCREAC)
The Boston University RCREAC, composed of faculty members serving as liaisons to participating
schools and colleges with the University, assists the Office of Research Compliance to oversee all
RCR instructional programs and to make strategic plans for further RCR activities at the University.
3. Duration of Instruction
The Introductory RCR-Online for Undergraduates and Short-term Learners is an
introductory, one-hour online tutorial and quiz.
The Advanced RCR for Graduate Students and Post-doctoral Researchers is a more
advanced program requiring completion of the online preparatory powerpoint and quiz, at least
eight hours of live participation (discussion of case studies) and approximately two hours of
reading and online preparation for each session.
Participating as a discussion facilitator requires three hours of service at a single session: one
hour of facilitator training and two hours facilitating the small group discussions.
4. Frequency of Instruction
The NIH requires that RCR training be completed for all personnel at least once at every career
stage and at a frequency no less than once every 4 years. Senior fellows and career award
recipients (including F33, K02, K05, and K24 awardees) who have previously completed or
participated in the Advanced RCR for Graduate Students and Post-doctoral Researchers
may fulfill this requirement by participating as co-leaders and discussion facilitators.
Development is underway of a system to verify completion of RCR training by individuals supported
by awards requiring them to receive RCR training. This verification system will be based on
 Periodic reports of all individuals supported by NIH training or NSF awards
 Enrollment and participation information in the Introductory RCR–Online for
Undergraduates and Short-term Learners
 Registration and attendance information in sessions of the Advanced RCR for Graduate
Students and Post-doctoral Researchers (and Discussion Facilitators)
 Certificates of Completion issued to individuals upon fulfillment of all RCR requirements.
The formal RCR program will be supplemented on a formal and/or informal basis by faculty in the
course of individual mentoring and group work associated with each institutional award.
For more information about RCR Instructional Programs at BU/BMC,
contact:
Office of Research Compliance
Boston University
85 E. Newton Street M840
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, MA 02118
P. 617-414-4736
F. 617-414-4751
rcr@bu.edu
Or visit: http://www.bu.edu/orc/rcr