Below are some frequently asked questions about Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training and requirements. Click on each question to expand and reveal the answer.
Are the RCR training workshops offered during the summer?
No, the RCR training workshops are offered annually, each February.
My work does not require me to have knowledge of certain subject groups covered in the RCR training series. Must I attend those portions of the training series?
Yes. The NIH requirement for RCR training is 8 hours of face-to-face training, and you must participate in the full program in order to satisfy the NIH requirement, covering the following areas:
- 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
I took the CITI RCR training online. Do I have to take the training in person?
It depends. RCR training completed online via the CITI Program will satisfy the NSF and USDA NIFA RCR training requirement. In order to satisfy the NIH requirement for RCR training, you must participate in the 8 hours of face-to-face training.
I took the RCR training at another university. Must I repeat the RCR training?
The RCR Office will review written requests for credit for prior RCR training with appropriate supporting documentation.
Does my academic department/major course that covers Responsible Conduct of Research satisfy the RCR requirement?
A course can only satisfy the RCR requirement if it is pre-approved by the RCR Office.
How do I confirm that I completed the RCR Requirement?
Your student transcript will indicate satisfactory completion for credit-bearing UConn or UConn Health RCR courses. You can verify your CITI RCR training status by logging in to CITI to see your list of courses completed. The RCR Office can verify participation in face-to-face trainings.
What happens if I do not fulfill the RCR requirement?
If you do not fulfill the RCR requirement, you cannot be paid with federal funds to work on the federally-funded grant.
Will I be notified that I need to take RCR training?
If you are being paid on a federal grant with an RCR training requirement, the Principal Investigator (PI) will inform you that you must satisfy the RCR requirement.
If I am not currently working and being paid on a federal grant, can I still register for the RCR training?
Yes. Individuals who are being paid to work on NSF, NIH and USDA NIFA grants have priority for registering for the training workshops. However, we encourage anyone to register, including those who anticipate federal funding in the future. (The online CITI RCR courses are available to any UConn/UConn Health employee at any time.)
For questions, please contact Research Compliance Monitor, Ellen Ciesielski, in the RCR Office.