Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Overview
Background
Eastern Washington University follows all federal, state, sponsor and university regulations, policies and guidelines to ensure a positive research environment that promotes the highest ethical standards. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is the practice of scientific investigation with integrity, and includes all research and scholarship associated with the mission of Eastern Washington University.
Training Requirements
Specific training requirements have been set forth by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to ensure that all research personnel are adequately trained in the basic principles of research and scholarship. NSF, in response to Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act, requires appropriate training and oversight in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and other key personnel participating in research funded by NSF.
Consistent with NSF policy, Eastern Washington University highly recommends that all personnel conducting federally supported research to complete RCR training.
Training is provided to the EWU community through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). The CITI program is dedicated to providing high quality, peer reviewed, web-based educational courses in research, responsible conduct of research, research administration, ethics and regulatory oversight for the research community.
Personnel required to complete RCR training must do so within 30 days of beginning work on the project. Personnel who do not fulfill this requirement will be suspended from the project until training is completed.
CITI provides subject-specific online courses in the responsible conduct of research. Completing the RCR course takes about 2 hours and fulfills the core or basic requirement for RCR training. CITI training must be completed prior to research beginning.
