What Is Responsible Conduct of Research?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) as:

“The practice of scientific investigation with integrity. It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research.”

As an institution with the highest standards of research integrity, the University of Miami has an obligation to train researchers to conduct research responsibly. While education in the responsible conduct of research is furthered at all career stages, from student to experienced researcher, it is critical to develop a strong foundation at the earliest career stages upon which to build in the future.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship (OVPRS) has developed training modules to provide standardized introductory training to all research teams. The RCR Overview training includes four modules that cover topics such as research misconduct, reproducibility, authorship, data management, conflict of interest, social impact, and more.

Access the RCR Overview Training

Please note that those whose RCR training is required by the National Institutes of Health(NIH) include a minimum of 8 contact hours of live training. UM's RCR training overview courses do not fullfill requisite live training requirements. 

In addition, policies put forth by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and other federal agencies require research teams supported by grants from these funding agencies to take courses in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Such training must be well-documented, and compliance must be formally tracked by the institution. Additional face-to-face training led by faculty in each program is also required for NIH trainees, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. See the Training Development Guide and FAQs for recommendations and resources for developing face-to-face training.