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.
For questions, please contact Research Compliance Monitor, Ellen Ciesielski, in the RCR Office.