Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Program Basics
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) program educates students and postdocs in core norms, principles, regulations, and rules governing the ethical practice of research. Boston University provides training on a range of topics to achieve this goal, including mentor/mentee relationships, data management and sharing, publication practices and responsible authorship, peer review, collaborative science, the societal impacts of scientific research, research misconduct and whistleblowing, and conflict of interest and commitment.
BU RCR training is offered at several levels: (1) undergraduate and master’s degree candidate, (2) PhD candidate & postdoctoral researcher, and (3) NSF-funded faculty and senior personnel. Read on for details about who is required to complete RCR training, or sign up for a training by clicking the button below.
Get Started with RCR Training
Who is required to complete RCR training?
The following researchers are required to complete RCR training:
- All students and postdoctoral researchers working on NSF- or NIH-sponsored grants, if they are “covered individuals” on “covered awards” as defined below.
- Any student or postdoc whose school or degree program requires RCR completion.
- Faculty and senior personnel on NSF-funded research with proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023 (learn more)
NSF Requirement
For faculty and senior personnel, all NSF awards to BU or BMC made on proposals submitted on or after July 31, 2023, are covered awards. For trainees, all NSF awards to BU or BMC made on proposals submitted on or after January 4, 2010, are covered awards. Covered individuals include PIs, senior personnel undergraduates, graduate students, or postdoctoral researchers who receive financial support from these covered awards to conduct research.
NIH Requirement
All NIH training grants* to BU or BMC, regardless of date of proposal submission, are covered awards. Covered individuals include all “trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support” from covered awards. This includes all students and all postdoctoral researchers who receive financial support and participate, at any time, as beneficiaries of the program supported by the training grant.
*NIH training grants include awards under 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 and 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.
How much time do I have to complete the RCR training?
NIH-supported undergraduates, master’s degree candidates, PhD candidates, and postdoctoral researchers must complete their RCR training within two years of requirement notification.
NSF-funded faculty and senior personnel should complete their training as soon as possible to remain compliant.
Training must be performed once every four years and at each new career stage.
What is required of PIs and administrative staff hiring trainees?
The BU RCR Plan states that PIs are responsible for specifying and monitoring completion of RCR instruction for required students and postdoctoral researchers. (Additionally, NSF-funded faculty are now required to complete RCR training of their own; learn more.)
Hiring & Managing Students Paid on NSF/NIH Grants
- When placing students or postdocs on the payroll to be paid for research on an NSF award, notify (or verify that the PI has notified) the payee of applicable RCR requirements.
Applying for Grants
Feel free to use the following language to describe the BU RCR program in your grant applications (click to expand collapsible).
Language for Grants
Responsible Conduct of Research Training at Boston UniversityTrainees under specified grant awards receive individual mentoring and instruction in connection with their training program. In addition, they will complete the institutional RCR Program, Advanced RCR for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers, which is offered by Boston University in partnership with Boston Medical Center, and takes place on both the Medical Campus and the Charles River Campus.
Content and format:
This program has two components:
- RCR-specific online training consisting of five modules from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI): Introduction to RCR, Data Management, Mentoring, Plagiarism, and Reproducibility; and
- The RCR course is a 1 credit, non-tuition bearing course (ENG EK 800) open to all PhD students and postdoctoral scholars. This 10-week course will meet once weekly for 50-minute sessions and fulfills the new National Science Foundation requirements as well as existing National Institutes of Health requirements. The course will be taught by Sarah Hokanson each term, alongside faculty co-instructors.
Duration:
The Online Preparation is to be completed in the first or second year of graduate training or the first semester as a postdoc. The four two-hour workshops are to be completed over not more than four semesters following completion of Online Preparation.
Faculty involvement:
The 1 credit RCR course is primarily taught by the BU RCR Director and co-facilitated by faculty mentors. Mentors receive one hour of training prior to the session in which they will serve. Since 2006, over 400 BU faculty members have participated as discussion facilitators or mentors. Given the dynamic and interactive nature of the course, it is suited to provide opportunities for professional growth and for development of new insights and skills in individuals at a variety of levels. Senior fellows and career award recipients (including F33, K02, K05, and K24 awardees) who have previously completed or participated in the Advanced RCR may participate as RCR workshop mentors in future years.
For more information, visit: https://www.bu.edu/research/ethics-compliance/responsible-conduct-of-research/
How does BU assure and verify RCR compliance?
PIs and department-level administrators are asked to assure that individuals on covered NSF grant programs make a commitment to meet their requirements.
Departmental Mandates
Several graduate programs/departments require that all trainees and post-docs undertake Advanced RCR training independent of funding status. It is the responsibility of PIs and department-level administrators to monitor their trainees for compliance with departmental policy. However, the RCR Program maintains status lists of all RCR participants, including those subject to a departmental mandate.
Administrative questions regarding the RCR training programs can be directed to burcr@bu.edu.