Home
Education
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR)

The IU Center for Bioethics and the Bioethics and Subject Advocacy Program (BSAP) of the Indiana CTSI are committed to training of future researchers in Responsible Conduct of Research, which the NIH defines 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.” Since 1994, the NIH has required RCR training for individuals supported by training grants such as K, T, or F grants. RCR training is separate from the CITI online training required for all researchers by the IRB.

Some training grants, such as K awards, require RCR training over the entire duration of the award, which includes but goes significantly beyond coursework. Click here to see the latest guidance.

Conflict of interest personal, professional, and financial and conflict of commitment, in allocating time, effort, or other research resources
Policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices
Mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
Safe research environments (e.g., those that promote inclusion and are free of sexual, racial, ethnic, disability and other forms of discriminatory harassment)
Collaborative research, including collaborations with industry and investigators and institutions in other countries
Peer review, including the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality and security in peer review
Data acquisition and analysis; laboratory tools (e.g., tools for analyzing data and creating or working with digital images); recordkeeping practices, including methods such as electronic laboratory notebooks
Secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
Research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
Responsible authorship and publication
The scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research

Learn more here about the following services offered by the Bioethics and Subject Advocacy Program of the Indiana CTSI:

Courses in RCR
RCR training
Help formulating RCR training for career development or training proposals.

Courses in RCR (Indianapolis):

The IU Center for Bioethics and Bioethics and Subject Advocacy Program (BSAP) of the Indiana CTSI offer two courses in RCR, both of which satisfy the NIH requirements for instruction in RCR.

GRDM-G504, “Introduction to Research Ethics” is a three-credit course that is offered each Fall term. This course provides an in-depth introduction to a wide range of issues related to scientific integrity and the responsible conduct of research. The course meets for 2 hrs and 40 minutes once a week and has a required take-home midterm and final exam. G504 course is most appropriate for students who would like a complete introduction to RCR, especially those who are in a graduate program where they can count this course towards their degree. Some graduate programs require G504, including the CITE program.

Click here to see a recent syllabus.

Click here to see the listing in the IU - Indianapolis course catalog.

GRDM-G506, “Responsible Conduct of Translational Research” is a one-credit course that is offered each Spring term. It meets for just 8 sessions, 1 hr and 30 minutes each, for two months (e.g. Jan-Feb) and has a take-home midterm and final. This course provides a more limited and focused introduction on key topics in RCR, especially related to translational research, such as clinical trials and other human participants research.

Click here to see a recent syllabus.

Click here to see the listing in the IU - Indianapolis course catalog.

The Center for Bioethics organizes a Responsible Conduct in Research workshop series for IUSM faculty without funding to enroll in G504/506 (such as post-doctoral fellows not on T32 awards). This series consists of 8 1-hour sessions, our next cohort will begin in January, 2026. If interested, please email seadonah@iu.edu.

Students who need to satisfy RCR training requirements for an NIH training grant or as a condition of employment at IU may be required to register with the graduate office as a non-degree seeking student to enroll in G504/506. See how to register as a non-degree seeking student here.

Some departments and graduate programs also offer their own RCR courses, such as GDRM-G 505, "The Responsible Conduct of Research" in the Biological Sciences Graduate Group and NURS-D 602, "Responsible Conduct of Research" in the School of Nursing. Click here for more information about RCR at IUI.

ICTSI RCR

IU Bloomington RCR

Purdue RCR

Notre Dame RCR

Additional RCR Training Opportunities and Assistance

Planning and Conducting Ethical Research for K Recipients (PERK)

PERK (formerly known as REKR) is a seminar for NIH K applicants and awardees to discuss their research with their peers. PERK meetings will serve to anticipate/troubleshoot potential ethical issues and pitfalls in existing or planned K-grant-funded research, while also providing education regarding those issues for others involved in such research. PERK will meet every other month with defined topics for conversation at each meeting (e.g., return of results, managing privacy, minimizing risk, etc.) to allow researchers to present their work as the case for that particular topic (we will also allow for suggested topics). If interested in participating, please contact Seamus Donahue (seadonah@iu.edu) or Jane Hartsock (jaaharts@iu.edu).

Planning RCR Training

BSAP Faculty can help applicants for K-series grants formulate and then carry out extended training in responsible conduct of research that spans the period of the award.

For more information about RCR training for your K grant, contact:

Peter Schwartz, MD, PhD or Seamus Donahue, MA

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR)

NIH RCR Subjects

Courses in RCR (Indianapolis):

GRDM-G504: “Introduction to Research Ethics”

GRDM-G506: “Responsible Conduct of Translational Research”

RCR Workshop

Additional RCR Training Opportunities and Assistance

Center for Bioethics resources and social media channels

Additional links and resources