RCR training is a cooperative undertaking supported by academic institutions around the world and promoted at OSU by the Office of Research Integrity, the Office for Sponsored Research and Award Administration, and the Graduate School.
Consultation is available for colleges, departments, and teams wanting to develop their own training initiatives.
Training efforts should demonstrate a commitment to fostering a research environment that facilitates and supports research integrity. The resources linked here are intended to support researchers and instructors in those endeavors. The training topics below have been incorporated into most acceptable RCR plans.
When training is completed to satisfy the requirements of a funding agency, documentation of those efforts and the completion of that training must be maintained by the investigator and made available to the Division of Research and Innovation and relevant funding agencies upon request.
RCR Courses and Contacts
The inaugural RCR Training Series co-hosted by the College of Health and the Office of Research Integrity was a success!
The College of Science and ORI are co-hosting the next 9-month series (October 2025 – May 2026). Please see the schedule for topics, dates, and location.
Attendees can complete their RCR training requirements in monthly sessions with presentations by OSU faculty and staff. This program will allow recipients of NIH career development and training grants to meet their 8-hour, face-to-face training obligations, and for other researchers to meet the requirements and recommendations from other funding agencies. All are welcome to attend.
Responsible conduct of research course offered by the OSU Graduate School. Training topics include:
- Ethical decision making
- Human subjects
- Animal welfare
- Data acquisition, sharing, and ownership
- Research misconduct
- Conflicts of interest
- Authorship
- Peer review
- Mentor/trainee responsibilities
- Collaborative science
Useful for all graduate students who conduct scholarly activities. Completion will satisfy the RCR requirements set forth by NSF, USDA/NIFA, and the NIH.
Course Description: "Acquire a multitude of skills to launch and maintain productive extramurally funded careers as research scientists. Explore the ethical practices, data sharing approaches, and compliance requirements needed to conduct research. Examine the ethical use of human subjects and animals in research. Explore the changing landscape of intellectual property and commercialization policies for scientists. Introduces communication strategies for effective interactions with scientific peers, the general public and research sponsors. Equivalent to: MCB 557"
Log in to citiprogram.org and affiliate with OSU. If you have an OSU affiliation (faculty, staff, or student), you must use your OSU email address for the primary and institutional addresses in the CITI registration. Employees must use [email protected] and students must use their ONID email address.
The RCR course will satisfy the requirements set forth by NSF and USDA/NIFA but not NIH.
NIH-funded trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars with applicable NIH funding are required to participate in discussion-based instruction that includes substantive face-to-face interaction among participants and faculty. The training offered by OHSU's Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute (OCTRI) fulfills this requirement through four 2-hour seminars, typically offered in February and March. OCTRI offers this training at no cost to OSU researchers with applicable grants.
Contact Melissa Mudd at OHSU for more information.
Applicable NIH awards: D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1, KL2, R25, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R any other NIH-funded programs supporting research training, career development, or research education that require instruction in responsible conduct of research as stated in the relevant funding opportunity announcements.
“Creating and Sustaining Respectful Work Environments,” is an OSU course for all supervisors of graduate assistants and graduate assistants that launched on October 10, 2023.
While not specific to research environments, this course focuses on our shared commitment for all university community members to promote a respectful work environment free of bullying or harassing behaviors, whether in traditional workspaces or out in the field. Participants will also acquire knowledge and skills for preventing, intervening, and reporting bullying or harassing behaviors occurring in the work environment. A helpful list of university and community resources will be provided for participants to support OSU’s commitment to creating and sustaining respectful work environments for all employees.
The training is available through Canvas. If you are a Graduate Assistant or you supervise Graduate Assistants and are unable to access this course, contact Kris Galago, Compliance Coordinator, in University Human Resources.
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National Science Foundation (NSF) on Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research
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USDA NIFA on Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research
RCR Training Content and Resources by Topic
The Lab - In "The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct," you become the lead characters in an interactive movie and make decisions about integrity in research that can have long-term consequences. The simulation addresses Responsible Conduct of Research topics such as avoiding research misconduct, mentorship responsibilities, handling of data, responsible authorship, and questionable research practices. Includes facilitator's guide. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. (Updated 2024) Office of Research Integrity.
Fostering Integrity in Research - Review of core values, identification of best practices, and approaches to reducing detrimental practices. [Book] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Fostering Integrity in Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research - Review of ethical foundations, discussion of personal and professional issues that researchers encounter. Intended for graduate students and early career scientists. [Book, Video] National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. 2009. On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research: Third Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
RCR Casebook: Stories about Researchers Worth Discussing - Short case studies covering a variety of research integrity topics. Office of Research Integrity.
ReaDI Program - Resources categorized by areas of the research lifecycle and by discipline. Columbia University.
Research Integrity Case Study - Short videos involving a fictional case study covering multiple areas of research integrity. Office of Research Integrity.
Responsible Conduct of Research - Discussion, cases, and questions on a variety of topics. [Book] Shamoo, A., Resnik, D. Responsible Conduct of Research. 4th ed., Oxford University Press, 2022.
ARRIVE guidelines Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments - Guidelines and checklists for reporting of in vivo experiments in animal studies. Per NOT-OD-23-057, NIH encourages use of the ARRIVE Essential 10 Checklist in all publications reporting on the results of NIH-supported vertebrate animal and cephalopod research. Percie du Sert N, Hurst V, Ahluwalia A, Alam S, Avey MT, Baker M, Browne WJ, Clark A, Cuthill IC, Dirnagl U, Emerson M, Garner P, Holgate ST, Howells DW, Karp NA, Lazic SE, Lidster K, MacCallum CJ, Macleod M, Pearl EJ, Petersen O, Rawle F, Peynolds P, Rooney K, Sena ES, Silberberg SD, Steckler T and Wurbel H (2020). The ARRIVE guidelines 2.0: updated guidelines for reporting animal research. PLoS Biol.
28 Guidelines at a Glance on Avoiding Plagiarism - Office of Research Integrity, taken from "Avoiding plagiarism, self-plagiarism, and other questionable writing practices: A guide to ethical writing" by Miguel Roig
Avoiding Plagiarism, Self-plagiarism, and Other Questionable Writing Practices: A Guide to Ethical Writing, Office of Research Integrity, 2015.
Ruined Internship: The Consequences of Plagiarism - 1-minute videoOffice of Research Integrity.
The Left-Out Author - 1-minute video Office of Research Integrity.
Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism - Infographic, Office of Research Integrity.
Adventures in Collaborative Research - Case study with script to be performed and discussed Kenneth D. Pimple.
Collaborative Research: Avoiding Pitfalls and Sharing Credit - Essay includes simple list of decision points in chronological order Kenneth D. Pimple.
Five tips for building health academic collaborations - "Collaboration is a key skill in academia, but nobody is ever taught how to do it effectively. Martyna Sliwa gives advice on how to work well with others." Martyna Śliwa, Durham University.
Preempting discord: Prenuptial agreements for scientists - On conflicts between collaborating scientists, provides questions to prompt discussion. Howard Gadlin, NIH Ombudsman, and Kevin Jessar, NIH Associate Ombudsman.
The Professional Grant Writer - Failure of a reviewer to disclose a COI Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
Undisclosed Conflict of Interest - Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
How Indigenous Groups Are Leading the Way on Data Privacy - "Indigenous groups are developing data storage technology that gives users privacy and control." Rina Diane Caballar, 2023.
The Jessica Banks Case - Case of PhD student who wants to take her lab notebooks with her when she graduates Kenneth D. Pimple and MJ Beabeau.
Research Data Access and Ownership Policy - Describes baseline requirements for retention of, and access to, data and other records of research; OSU policy.
Research Integrity and Image Processing - Learning tool (guidance, cases, quizzes) with best practices for image processing. Includes videos. Author, contributors, and sponsor information.
Rigor and Reproducibility - Curated resources related to data acquisition, analysis, collection, accuracy, security, confidentiality, management, sharing, access, and ownership. OSU Program for Responsible Research Practices.
The Research Clinic - The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) and the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) present The Research Clinic. The interactive training video educates clinical and social researchers on the importance of appropriately protecting research participants and avoiding research misconduct. The Research Clinic allows the viewer to assume the role of one of four characters and determines the outcome of the storyline by selecting decision-making choices for each “playable” character. (Updated in 2024).
Breaking Protocol - 1-minute video Office of Research Integrity.
Human Research Protections - Links to relevant legislation, regulations, guidance, federal offices, training resources, and APA-specific resources. American Psychological Association.
Mentoring Resources - Assorted resources for mentors, mentees and leadership. Council of Graduate Schools.
The Bad Role Model - 1-minute video Office of Research Integrity.
A Developmental Model of Research Mentoring - Revelo, R.A., and Loui, M.C., 2016,“A Developmental Model of Research Mentoring,” College Teaching.
Ethical Practices and Tips for Improving Engineering Faculty-Student Research Relationships - Idalis Villanueva Alarcon (2022), Ethical Practices and Tips for Improving Engineering, Faculty-Student Research Relationships, IEEE.
Graduate Student Mentoring Guide: A Guide for Students - Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan.
How to Mentor Graduate Students: A Guide for Faculty - Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan,
Mentoring International Post Docs - Videos and guidebook Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Mentoring – the NSF requirement - Curated resources Compiled by Kelly Laas, made available through the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science.
A race re-imaged, intersectional approach to academic mentoring: Exploring the perspectives and responses of womxn in science and engineering research - Villaneuva, I., Di Stefano, M., Gelles, L., Osoria, P.V., & Benson, S. (2019), A race re-imagined, Contemporary Educational Psychology, 59, 101786.
Raising a Resilient Scientist Series - Five units, covering communication, resilience, inclusivity, conflict and feedback, and trainee wellbeing. Webinar recordings, NIH Workshops and Trainings for Extramural Faculty.
The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM - Full book, .pdf document, listen to podcast, online guide. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Ten simple rules for leading a successful undergraduate-intensive research lab - Hickman K, Zahn G (2024) Ten simple rules for leading a successful undergraduate-intensive research lab. PLoS Comput Biol 20(4): e1011994.
Ten simple rules for developing a mentor–mentee expectations document - Masters KS, Kreeger PK (2017) Ten simple rules for developing a mentor–mentee expectations document. PLoS Comput Biol 13(9): e1005709.
Abuse of Power - Pressure to write reviewer critiques. Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
Asking for Favorable Treatment - PI contacts reviewer. Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
The Professional Grant Writer - Failure of a reviewer to disclose a COI. Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
Sharing an Application Being Reviewed - Integrity in peer review. Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
The Seminar Trip - Breach of review integrity. Mike Lauer, NIH case study.
Using AI in Peer Review is a Breach of Confidentiality - Mike Lauer, Stephanie Constant, and Amy Wernimont from NIH.
Crash Course Intellectual Property - 10-minute video introduction to IP. Stan Muller, CrashCourse. Guide includes industry and university perspectives, basic principles, and suggestions. University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP).
Caught Cheating - 1-minute video. Office of Research Integrity.
The Grant Application Game: How Far Would You Go to Get Funded? - 1-minute video. Office of Research Integrity.
OSU Research Misconduct Policy
You Suspect Research Misconduct - Now What? - Infographic. Office of Research Integrity.
You've Been Accused of Research Misconduct – Now What? - Infographic. Office of Research Integrity.
Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations: Beyond Broadening Participation - “The report outlines actions that top leaders and gatekeepers in STEMM organizations, such as presidents and chief executive officers, can take to foster a culture and climate of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion that is genuinely accessible and supportive to all.” National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Committee on Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM Organizations; Gilda A. Barabino, Susan T. Fiske, Layne A. Scherer, and Emily A. Vargas, Editors.
Broadening participation by including more individuals with disabilities in STEM: Promising practices from an engineering research center - Bellman, S., Burgstahler, S., & Chudler, E. H. (2018). Broadening Participation by Including More Individuals With Disabilities in STEM: Promising Practices from an Engineering Research Center. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(5), 645–656.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Clinical Research - “…innovative and practical measures to increase diverse and inclusive representation in the clinical research enterprise.” Includes guidance, resources, and case studies. Website, .pdfs, webinars. The Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard.
Fourteen recommendations to create a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals in academic biology - See Reference section for resources in some additional disciplines. Cooper KM, Auerbach AJJ, Bader JD, Beadles-Bohling AS, Brashears JA, Cline E, Eddy SL, Elliott DB, Farley E, Fuselier L, Heinz HM, Irving M, Josek T, Lane AK, Lo SM, Maloy J, Nugent M, Offerdahl E, Palacios-Moreno J, Ramos J, Reid JW, Sparks RA, Waring AL, Wilton M, Gormally C, Brownell SE. Fourteen Recommendations to Create a More Inclusive Environment for LGBTQ+ Individuals in Academic Biology. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2020 Sep;19(3):es6. DOI: 10.1187/cbe.20-04-0062. PMID: 32663116; PMCID: PMC8711824.
Guidebook for Teaching Selected Responsible Conduct of Research Topics to a Culturally Diverse Trainee Group - Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Reciprocal Research: A Guide to Centering Community Partnerships with Indigenous Nations - Poitra, C., Kolonich, A., Mitchell, A. E., Proctor, E., Shirley, A., Baier, A.& LaPensée, E. (2021). Reciprocal Research: A Guidebook to Centering Community in Partnerships with Indigenous Nations. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Native American Institute.
Standards for Professional Behavior - Includes examples for field sites, facilities, ships, and conferences. Compiled by NSF.
Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine - Consensus Report exploring, “the influence of sexual harassment in academia on the career advancement of women in the scientific, technical, and medical workforce.” Contributor(s): National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Policy and Global Affairs; Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine; Committee on the Impacts of Sexual Harassment in Academia; Paula A. Johnson, Sheila E. Widnall, and Frazier F. Benya, Editors.
Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab - Chaudhary VB, Berhe AA (2020) Ten simple rules for building an antiracist lab. PLoS Comput Biol 16(10): e1008210. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008210.
Ten simple rules for creating a sense of belonging in your research group - Ruedas-Gracia N, Botham CM, Moore AR, Peña C (2022) Ten simple rules for creating a sense of belonging in your research group. PLoS Comput Biol 18(12): e1010688. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010688.
Ten simple rules for successfully supporting first-generation/low-income (FLI) students in STEM - Peña C, Ruedas-Gracia N, Cohen JR, Tran N, Stratton MB (2022) Ten simple rules for successfully supporting first-generation/low-income (FLI) students in STEM. PLoS Comput Biol 18(10): e1010499. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010499.
Laboratory & Research Safety - Includes a guide for new researchers under “How do I…?”, as well as specific information for particular areas of lab safety (ie., chemical, biological, radiation, etc.), so that learners can review areas most relevant to them. OSU Environmental Health and Safety.
RCR Casebook: Social Responsibility - Online case studies topics include: research priorities, fiscal responsibilities, public service, public education, advocacy, environmental impact, and forbidden knowledge. Office of Research Integrity.
Socially Responsible Science Is More than “Good Science” - Bird SJ. Socially responsible science is more than "good science". J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2014 Dec 15;15(2):169-72. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.v15i2.870. PMID: 25574272; PMCID: PMC4278471.
Ten simple rules for socially responsible science - Zivony A, Kardosh R, Timmins L, Reggev N (2023) Ten simple rules for socially responsible science. PLoS Comput Biol 19(3): e1010954.
The Role of Science in Society - American Meteorological Society. Higgins, P.A.T., Chan, K.M.A., and Porder, S. 2006. Bridge over a philosophical divide. Evidence & Policy. 2(2):251-257.
If you would like to make an anonymous report related to any violation of ethical standards or institutional policies, we encourage you to use the Accountability & Integrity Hotline: EthicsPoint