Texas A&M AgriLife is committed to conducting research responsibly and ethically. Topics related to Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) include: Research Misconduct, Data Management, Conflict of Interest, Collaborative Science, Responsible Authorship, Mentoring, Peer Review, Animals Research, and Human Subjects Research.
quick resources
Learn More
Why do I need to take RCR Training?
If you are working on a project funded by one of the below federal agencies, the conditions of the award require you to take RCR Training.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires that all undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel who receive NSF funds to conduct research on NSF grants complete RCR training ( http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/rcr.jsp ). The United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA – NIFA) requires students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, program directors, and any staff participating in their awards to complete RCR training ( https://nifa.usda.gov/responsible-and-ethical-conduct-research ). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) require that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training award, career development award, research education grant, or dissertation research grant receive instruction in responsible conduct of research ( https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-10-019.html ).
According to TAMU SAP 15.99.99.M0.04, students and postdoctoral fellows are required to complete RCR training.
- All undergraduate students (who conduct research) are required to complete online CITI “RCR Basic” training.
- All graduate students (who conduct research) are required to complete online CITI “RCR Basic” training.
- Graduate students who work on externally funded research must also complete four hours of RCR in-person workshops.
- All postdoctoral fellows are required to complete online CITI “RCR Basic” training and four hours of RCR in-person workshops.
Training
How will training be delivered?
Online RCR training will be accomplished by using the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). There are two RCR courses in CITI.
- RCR Basic: All Disciplines
- RCR Refresher: Not a substitute for RCR Basic. Only for those assigned to RCR Refresher.
CITI RCR Training Instructions
RCR in-person workshops are offered by TAMU. A schedule of RCR in-person workshops can be found on the TAMU Division of Research / Responsible Conduct of Research website at https://vpr.tamu.edu/conflict-of-interest-responsible-conduct-of-research/responsible-conduct-of-research/workshop-information/ .