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Research Ethics & Compliance

Responsible Conduct of Research

The University of Alabama is committed to supporting responsible and ethical conduct of research and scholarship among its faculty, staff, and students. Responsible conduct of research training contributes to a culture of intellectual honesty and demonstrates a commitment to ethical responsibilities by academia. To affirm this commitment, the University of Alabama requires individuals who design and conduct research and/or report and publish research outcomes to complete in the Responsible Conduct of Research training.

RCR Requirements

Recipients of awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are required to comply with specific requirements to ensure appropriate training in the responsible conduct of research. Researchers applying for, and receiving, support from NSF, NIFA, and the NIH will need to be familiar with these respective regulations, as well as provide documentation of appropriate training as required under the terms of the award. Regardless of funding, however, these core ethical values are expected to be upheld in all research conducted at the University and it recommended that all researchers complete RCR training.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Beginning with new proposals submitted or due on or after July 31, 2023, faculty and other senior personnel funded by NSF to conduct research will need to participate in Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research training. Refer to the DUN22612 (senate.gov)

While Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is recommended for all researchers, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) require faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research project to receive appropriate training in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. The online RCR training can be completed through the CITI Program: CITI – Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (citiprogram.org).

CITI RCR Instructions

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The NIH has established a training requirement in RCR for individuals receiving support through NIH Institutional Research Training Grants, Individual Fellowship Awards, Career Development Awards (Institutional and Individual), Research Education Grants, Dissertation Research Grants, and any other program that requires such training as identified in the NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement. The RCR training requirement applies to all trainees, fellows, participants, scholars, and faculty who are supported by National Institutes of Health including competitive renewals. NOT-OD-10-019: Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (nih.gov).

*Online training (CITI) is not sufficient to meet the NIH requirement. Training should involve eight or more contact hours depending on the NIH award type.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The NSF has established a training requirement in the responsible conduct of research for students, postdoctoral fellows (postdocs), faculty, and other senior personnel supported by NSF projects. The requirement applies to all undergraduates, graduate students, postdoc, and faculty researchers who are supported by NSF projects submitted (and subsequently awarded) after July 31, 2023, including competitive renewals. The RCR training requirement also applies to Principal Investigators supported by NSF projects or directing students or postdocs supported on NSF projects.

The new regulations implement provisions of the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 23-1) | NSF – National Science Foundation.

The University of Alabama utilizes online training through the CITI program to meet this requirement. CITI – Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (citiprogram.org).

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) requires all participants including all program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research project to receive appropriate training in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. The new RCR training requirement is applicable to all awards subject to the USDA NIFA COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE (nsf.gov) or subsequent Terms and Conditions that contain the RCR training requirement.

The University of Alabama utilizes the CITI program to meet this requirement. CITI – Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (citiprogram.org)