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Responsible Conduct of Research

Research Integrity

Each member of the university community has a responsibility to create and foster an environment promoting intellectual honesty and the highest standards of academic integrity.

This includes attributing appropriate credit for work that is not your own, communicating responsibilities clearly to collaborators, practicing accurate and unbiased data collection and being a good role model to other members of the research team.

Research Misconduct

Research misconduct constitutes unacceptable personal conduct with respect to scholarship and research.

Disdain for misconduct in any aspect of research or scholarly endeavor must be upheld, as misconduct in any form is destructive of the standards the university attempts to instill in its students, the public perception of academia and academic disciplines, and the financial support of the government and other sponsors for scholarship and research.  The actions that constitute research misconduct include fabrication of data, falsification of data or plagiarism.  These terms are defined in UNCW's Research Misconduct Policy (03.300).

UNCW strives to create a culture of ethics and integrity that will discourage misconduct.  One of the programs that contributes to an ethical culture is the Responsible Conduct of Research training program.

News and Updates

The Research Integrity Office, which oversees the Responsible Conduct of Research training program, is conducting all operations virtually. RCR training workshops occur each semester in a hybrid format (virtual and in-person).

Training

NSF Investigator Training

Effective with new NSF grant proposals submitted after 7/31/23, UNCW must certify that it has a plan in place to train all NSF-supported investigators, including PIs and senior personnel, on RCR topics.  UNCW's plan to meet this new requirement is to direct all investigators supported by NSF funds requested after July 31, 2023 to complete the online Responsible Conduct of Research course offered through UNCW's CITI Program subscription.

This RCR course is available in four discipline areas:  Biomedical, Social/Behavioral, Physical Science and Humanities.  Individuals may select the version that is most applicable to their academic discipline.

Interested persons can find a link to the CITI Program and instructions to enroll in the course course below.

Student Training

Students (undergraduate, graduate and post-doc) who are hired to work on research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the National Science Foundation (NSF) are required to complete training on the responsible conduct of research (RCR).

Staff in the Research Integrity Office (RIO) will contact PIs who have been awarded NSF or NIH funds to notify them of RCR training requirements for applicable students and provide updates on upcoming training workshops.

PIs subject to the above requirements must provide RIO with the names of all students who are or will be paid from NSF or NIH funds, or respond that they currently do not have any students who are subject to the requirement.

PIs are ultimately responsible for ensuring that applicable students complete the training requirements itemized below. RIO will assist PIs in notifying and prompting students to the extent possible.

UNCW's RCR training requirements expanded in Fall 2022 in response to NIH requirements for more in-depth training and additional topics.  Students attend a series of three workshops covering various topics related to RCR. Each workshop is held by the most appropriate campus office according to the topics covered, including UNCW Library and Environmental Health and Safety so that students meet and learn from subject matter experts. To learn more about NIH's policy change click here.

Students who are subject to the above requirements must complete the three components listed below.

1.  CITI Online Training: Students must complete an online course on the Responsible Conduct of Research offered through the CITI Program (see below for more information on this requirement).  Please note that the CITI Program Human Subject Protection courses do not meet this requirement. 

Additionally, if you are viewing this page because you plan to conduct human subjects research, and you are NOT a student working on a NIH or NSF-funded project, please visit the Human Subject Protection (IRB) website for relevant IRB training information.  The training described on this RCR page does not meet the IRB training requirement.

2.  3-series RCR Workshops Instruction: Students who completed the BIO 501 course are not subject to this requirement.  All other students must complete three workshops that provide more in-depth information on RCR topics and allow students to meet staff from different UNCW offices across campus that help raise awareness about critical campus units and the resources available to them. If a student has taken BIO 501 they may be exempt from this portion of the requirement. The curriculum will include the following topics: 
  • Conflicts of Interest
  • Research Subjects
  • Mentor-Mentee Responsibilities
  • Collaborative Research
  • Peer Review
  • Data Acquisition and Management
  • Research Misconduct
  • Responsible Authorship and Publication
  • Ethical Issues in Research
  • Respectful Research Environments
  • Lab Safety

3.  Informal Guidance: PIs subject to the above requirements must provide informal guidance to their mentee students in an ongoing way in laboratory and classroom settings.

RIO maintains records of online and formal student training and issues training certification to students when online and formal training are completed.

RCR Online Training Instructions

UNCW students, faculty and staff and other affiliated personnel may register for the online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). 

Below are instructions on how to log into the CITI program and select the correct course.  Please follow these instructions closely, since there are many courses offered that can be easily confused.

  • Log into CITI
  • You may need to setup an account. If so, click Register. 
  • *IF you are setting up an account, make sure to indicate UNCW as the institution you are affiliated with!  Simply type "Wilm" in the search box and UNCW will pop up.
  • If you already have an account, click Login.
  • Returning users (with existing accounts) should click View Courses, then scroll to the bottom of your course to find Add a Course. You will then see the Select Curriculum Screen.
  • New users will see the Select Curriculum screen after setting up your account.
  • There are general instructions you can review, then you will scroll down to Question 8 for the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course options.  Please note that the Human Subject Protection courses shown at Question 1 do not meet the RCR training requirement.  Additionally, if you plan to conduct human subjects research, the RCR courses shown at Question 8 do not meet IRB training requirements.  Please visit the IRB website for relevant IRB training requirements.
  • Please select one of the four possible course options listed that best aligns with your discipline/profession.
  • OPTIONAL: You may also have interest in completing one or both of the Respectful and Safe Research Environments courses listed at Question 9.
  • Once you have selected the most appropriate option, scroll to the bottom of the screen and select either Complete Registration for new users or Submit for returning users.
  • This should take you back to your course list where you can confirm that the correct course was added.

If you are unsure of which course to register for, please reach out to us to receive more detailed instructions with Screen shots. 

If you experience difficulty using the CITI website, please check to see if you are using a current version (issued within last 3-4 years) of one of the following browsers: Chrome, Firefox, MS Edge, or Safari.

Please note - the online training described above must be completed prior to the first of the three workshops.

RCR Contact Information

Email the RCR Team

Tell the RCR team in the Research Integrity Office how we're doing on this quick, 4-question survey!

Additionally, please be aware that the Office of Internal Audit at UNCW maintains an anonymous reporting tool to facilitate reporting of allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of funds.

Concerns about ethical practices may also be reported anonymously to the state auditor’s Fraud and Abuse Hotline by calling 1.800.730.8477 or filing a complaint online.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FRAUD

Resources