Research Ethics: RCR Program

The 60-minute lecture-discussion sessions are offered during the academic year at both the Davis and Sacramento campuses. Sessions consist of a face-to-face lecture by a guest speaker, followed by a question and answer period. However, due to COVID-19, the 2020-2021 sessions will be held via Zoom only. These sessions are taught and facilitated by members of the faculty and administration with particular knowledge and expertise of the specific RCR topics.

Participants who attend eight sessions covering different topics will receive a certificate of completion for the Responsible Conduct of Research program. You may carry over attendance from the sessions from the previous academic year.

Note: Due to COVID-19, the 2020-2021 will be held via Zoom only. In order to receive credit for a course, you must participate the full hour of the session. Participants that join the meeting late will not be allowed to join (more than 10 minutes). Participants who leave the meeting early will not receive credit (more than 5 minutes). Participant attendance is tracked by Zoom with the time stamp of when they joined and left the meeting. If you have technical problems where you have to rejoin, you will still receive credit as long as you rejoin withing a few minutes.

Your attendance is tracked in LMS. You can log into your LMS account to view how many course you have taken at any time. One you complete eight sessions, RCR Staff Development and Professional Services (SDPS) will email you your certificate. For questions regarding the courses you have taken and the status of your certificate, please contact SDPS at sdps@ucdavis.edu

RCR training is required for:

trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars supported by specific NIH training awards, career development awards, research education grants, or dissertation research grants; and

program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in the research project on an NSF or USDA-NIFA award

Reflection on responsible conduct of research should recur throughout a scientist’s career: at the undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, predoctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty levels.

Instruction must be undertaken at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years.

It is highly encouraged that initial instruction during predoctoral training occurs as early as possible in graduate school.

Individuals at the early career investigator level (including mentored K awardees and K12 scholars) must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research at least once during this career stage.

Senior fellows and career award recipients (including F33, K02, K05, and K24 awardees) may fulfill the requirement for instruction in responsible conduct of research by participating as lecturers and discussion leaders.

To meet the above requirements, instruction in responsible conduct of research may take place, in appropriate circumstances, in a year when the trainee, fellow or career award recipient is not actually supported by an NIH grant