Here is a list of frequently asked questions about the Responsible Conduct of Research trainings and requirements. Click on each question to expand and reveal the answer.
Are the face-to-face RCR trainings offered during the summer?
Currently, the face-to-face RCR training workshops are only offered in February.
My work does not require me to have knowledge of certain subject groups. Must I attend those portions of the RCR training series?
All individuals required to take RCR training to meet NIH requirements must complete a total of 8 hours of face-to-face training in 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 face-to-face training?
It depends on the funder. In order to satisfy the NIH RCR requirement, 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 Program 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 Program Office.
How do I confirm that I completed the RCR Requirement?
The RCR Program Office can verify full participation in online CITI training or face-to-face training. Your student transcript will indicate satisfactory completion for credit-bearing UConn or UConn Health RCR courses.
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 by the RCR Program Office 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 required by my funder to complete RCR training, can I still register for the RCR face-to-face training?
Yes, anyone may participate in the face-to-face trainings; however, individuals who are required by their funder have priority for registering. You may also choose to complete the training in advance of anticipated funding.