General Information
All persons involved in whose research activities must understand the underlying principles of responsible conduct of research that will assist in discouraging research misconduct and questionable research practices. The America COMPETES Act requires institutions receiving funding to conduct research to have a plan for appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) for faculty, other senior personnel, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF, NIH and USDA (NIFA) to conduct research.
The below training modules information about the underlying principles of responsible conduct of research designed to discourage research misconduct and questionable research practices. UMBC may accept evidence of training (e.g. certificate of completion) from other institutions. Please forward these documents to RCR@umbc.edu for review.
NIH RCR Training Requirement
NIH requires all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant receive in person RCR training. Information on in person training can be found under RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH (RCR) MICROCREDENTIAL SERIES For more info about the NIH policy and required instructional components (format, subject matter, faculty participation, duration of instruction, and frequency of instruction), please see NIH RCR FAQ. The most recent NIH notice outlining requirements for RCR instruction are located here: (NOT-OD-22-055).
Which NIH programs must follow the RCR training requirements?
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- NIH requirements for RCR training are detailed in NIH notice NOT-OD-10-019. These requirements apply to the following programs: 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.
Responsible Conduct of Research Microcredential Series
How do I sign up?
You must sign up for each individual session by clicking the links under each session below and then choose “Going in Person. The full detailed schedule of sessions is listed below, including case studies to be discussed.
Who can earn the microcredential?
Open to all faculty, staff, undergraduate, and graduate students. While required of any individual receiving funding from NIH, anyone (faculty, staff, undergraduate or graduate student, postdoctoral research associate) can attend the in-person workshops and earn the microcredentials.
These in-person discussion-based workshops are required for any individual receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, postdocs, and faculty (see NIH guidance here). In order to meet NIH’s requirements for in-person RCR training, these workshops have been established as a series of microcredentials (also called “badges”) that lead to an overarching RCR “mega” credential. It should be noted that UMBC requires all graduate students completing a master’s thesis or doctoral degree, along with all postdoctoral research associates, to complete RCR training through either CITI or this new in-person RCR Microcredential Series. Undergraduates also have the option of earning Arts and Humanities credit by taking PHIL 359: Ethics, Integrity, and Scientific Research, which is offered every spring semester. Students enrolled in the class also have the option of earning the microcredentials.
How do I earn the microcredential?
Each workshop session below is associated with a topic-specific RCR microcredential, so participants earn a “badge” for each session attended. After attending all required sessions, an overarching RCR credential will be awarded. Attendance and active participation are required to receive a microcredential for each workshop (participants must scan the QR code provided at the end of the workshop using their phone). This process ensures full participation. After completing a workshop, participants will receive their microcredential/badge specific to that session. Once all workshops in the series have been completed, participants will be awarded certification of completion of RCR training, a “mega” credential signifying that they have fully met the NIH’s RCR training requirements.
Facilitator: This RCR series is being facilitated by Daniel G. Jenkins, an applied ethics expert who is an instructor in our philosophy program. Each workshop session will be co-taught by an additional faculty member or staff with subject matter expertise. Jenkins has taught a range of applied ethics courses, including PHIL/PBHL 358: Bioethics, PHIL 251: Ethical Issues in Science and Engineering, and, since 2020, PHIL 359: Ethics and Integrity in Scientific Research for undergraduate students in STEM BUILD. From a previous career in science, which began while an undergraduate at UMBC, he gained experience in bench science and animal husbandry. He has co-authorships in the Journal of Radiation Research, Atherosclerosis, and the Journal of Experimental Medicine. He received BA’s in Philosophy and Psychology, a certificate in Biopsychology, and an MA in Applied and Professional Ethics from UMBC. He has taught in the Department of Philosophy since 2015.
Additional Information and to Sign up for In-Person Workshops
UMBC Access to CITI RCR Training Modules
Training modules in CITI are available to the entire UMBC community. These are customized to cover the training topics, including authorship, collaborative research, data, management, mentoring and peer review for a number of specific disciplines in the fields of Biomedical Sciences, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. Instructors who teach an existing course that includes an RCR component may include the CITI training as part of the course.
IMPORTANT: The RCR modules cannot be substituted for the basic courses required for human subjects research or laboratory animal welfare.
Please feel free to contact us at RCR@umbc.edu.