Responsible Conduct of Research

WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH?

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) refers to the ethical principles, professional standards, and best practices that guide researchers in conducting their work with integrity, transparency, and accountability. RCR is essential to maintain the credibility and trustworthiness of scientific research and ensure that the research outcomes benefit society while minimizing potential harm. RCR Training is one aspect of USC’s commitment to maintaining the highest possible standards for integrity among its entire research community.

WHO IS REQUIRED TO TAKE RCR TRAINING?

Projects Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). All undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and other senior personnel supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) are required to complete an approved course in Responsible Conduct of Research.

Training, Career Development, Education, or Dissertation Projects Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). All trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any National Institutes of Health (NIH) training (T), individual or institutional career development award (K), or research education grants (R25, R36, R90) are required to complete in-person RCR instruction.

All other students, fellows, faculty, and staff engaged in research at USC are strongly encouraged to complete online training but are not required to do so.

HOW DO I COMPLETE REQUIRED RCR TRAINING?

RCR training is available in two forms at USC: online and in the classroom. Both types of training introduce participants to principles on the ethical conduct of research. Participants are exposed to potential ethical dilemmas and receive guidance on how the principles of RCR can be used to resolve these dilemmas.

NSF Funded Projects:

All required NSF-funded researchers, as described above, must complete the NSF-approved CITI Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Basic course. See below for instructions on how to access the CITI RCR course.

NIH Funded Projects:

All required NIH-funded researchers, as described above, must complete in-person training. This training is available through the Keck School of Medicine’s INTD 500: Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research course. The course consists of five one-hour lecture sessions and five one-hour small group discussion sessions. The course is available both in the summer and the fall on the HSC campus.

For further information on the course and how to enroll, see INTD 500: Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research. If you work on a campus other than HSC; please contact Kristen Grace at gracekri@usc.edu for available remote in-person discussion sessions.

CITI RCR training — Access instructions:

1. Go to the CITI login page at CITI RCR Training.

2. Register as a CITI user.

In the “Select Your Organization Affiliation” section, enter “University of Southern California”. A drop-down list will appear. Select “University of Southern California (SSO)” as your institution.
Agree to the terms of service, affirm that you are an affiliate of University of Southern California, and log in with University of Southern California.
You will be taken to the USC Shibboleth Single Sign-on page.
Sign in, and your course will be ready to begin.

4. Begin the course from the “Main Menu”. Click on the “Incomplete” link under the “Completed” header.

5. Complete all ten required “Elective” and “Supplemental” modules and associated quizzes, achieving a minimum passing score of 80%. A running tally is compiled in a grade book. If you want to improve your score on a quiz, you may repeat any quiz.

6. When you complete all required modules successfully, you may print your completion report by clicking “Print” link in the learner’s menu. Completions are also tracked within the system, and you may also return to the course site in the future to obtain a copy of the completion report.

The RCR Course requires 2-4 hours to complete. The course tracks and records progress, so you may log in and out at your convenience.