Research Compliance

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Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

NOTE - This is NOT the IRB required training for research with human subjects.

If you would like to learn more about the responsible conduct of research or have been asked to complete the training as a requirement of receiving support from NIH or NSF, folow the directions below to access the training. The training is free and we encourage faculty to use the course in teaching or  mentoring activities with all students and post docs, regardless of NSF/NIH support.

What will I learn?

  • Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Research Misconduct
  • Data Acquisition and Management
  • Responsible Authorship
  • Peer Review
  • Mentoring
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Collaborative Research
  • Conducting Research With Laboratory Animals
  • Responsible Conduct of Research with Human Subjects

Why am I required to take this training?

If you are a Post-doc, an undergraduate or graduate student, an NSF grant or a trainee, fellow, participant or scholar supported by an NSF or NIH award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant, you are required to receive training in Responsible Conduct of Research, in order to continue to receive your federal support.  The intention is for all future scientists to have a better understanding of the expectations of responsible conduct of research.

How do I register for RCR training?

New Users

Go to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)

If you are a new user of this training site, click "Log In" in the upper right.

Click "Log In Through My Institution"

Type "University of Louisiana at Lafayette" in the text box.

Click "Continue to SSO Login/Instructions"

Click " I don't have a CITI Program account and I need to create one."

Click "Create a New CITI Program Account."

Click "View Courses"

At the bottom of the page, click "Add a Course"

Select your research area for the Responsible Conduct of Research Course in Question 1.

Scroll to the bottom and click "Submit:"

Next time use your ULID and password to "Log In Through My Institution."

Registered Users

Login.
At the bottom of the page in "My Learner Tools for University of Louisiana at Lafayette", click "Add a Course".
In Question 1, please select the responsible conduct of research course topic closest to your area of research.
Questions for other courses can be answered "Not at this Time".
Click “Submit”.
The course listing will open. Select the course you would like to begin.

You may complete the course in multiple sessions, if necessary.

How long will the training take?

This training contains reading material and quizzes.  Depending on how fast you read, you can plan about 30-35 minutes per topic. With 10 topics, the total training time may be around 5 hours.  You may complete the course in multiple sessions; the program will "remember" your progress. You will simply log out after completing a quiz and return to the course at another time. A minimum aggregate score of 80% is required to pass the RCR course.  Upon completion of all the required modules, a certificate will be generated.  Please make a PDF of your certificate for your records.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

Dr. Robin Broussard, Director, Office of Research Integrity
337-482-1419
robin.broussard@louisiana.edu

What is the institutional training and verification process?

We (Sponsored Programs Finance Administration and Compliance) will monitor the awarding of NSF projects and NIH training, career development awards (individual or institutional), research education grants, and dissertation research grants, and will send the Principal Investigator (PI) of the award information about the RCR requirements, as they pertain to their project, and instructions for providing evidence of training completion for trainees supported by their award. As the PI, you will be asked to:

  1. email SPFAC a list of names of students, trainees or post-docs to receive funding from NIH or NSF awards. Please include your name, the NSF/NIH award number, title, account number, and student or postdoctoral researcher name(s).
  2. Direct students and postdoctoral researchers to take the discipline specific CITI RCR Training, within 90 days of their beginning work on the project, or before the completion of the project, which ever is sooner.
  3. Direct those taking the CITI RCR training to make a PDF of the training certificate as proof of training.
  4. As the PI, you must email SPFAC the training completion certificate(s) for each person.

Additional reading about this requirement

NSF's Implementation of Section 7009 of the America COMPETES ACT

NSF RCR FAQs (March 2010)

NIH Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Note: Use of these courses to satisfy requirements by the IRB for training in human research subject protection or  by the IACUC for animal welfare training will be determined on a case-by case basis.