The University of Alaska Anchorage promotes responsible conduct of research practicing high standards of ethics and accountability in planning, implementation, behavior and information dissemination. Research faculty and staff are encouraged to provide safe work environments, which foster the values of a shared responsible community.
UAA provides the CITI Course in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) designed to be used by institutions and it provides a comprehensive basic course in RCR for faculty, staff and administrators. To access the RCR course, go to the CITI home page, log in (remember your login information so you can re-enter to complete this course or to choose another option). Find the link "add a course or update your learner group" and click. Then click on "update groups". Then read and follow the directions checking the option(s) you want to complete. Click to continue and click on "Go Back to Learner's Main Menu". The course you chose will be listed there and you can begin the course you selected. It will come up whenever you log in again. A certificate is available to print/save upon completion. Any questions, contact the compliance office at 786-1099.
The basic RCR course includes the following topics:
- Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research
- Research Misconduct
- Data Acquisition and Management
- Responsible Authorship
- Peer Review
- Mentoring
- Conflicts of Interest
- Collaborative Research
The other RCR options include:
- CITI Biomedical Sciences RCR Course
- CITI Social and Behavioral Sciences RCR Course
- CITI Physical Sciences and Engineering RCR Course
- CITI RCR Course for Students and Investigators in the Humanities
- CITI Course for IACUC Members
- Review the CITI Health Information Privacy and Security (HIPS) Course
Often this training is required. The course is flexible enough that classroom instructors of research methods courses can use this online tutorial as an adjunct to class instruction. Research students, staff and faculty are encouraged to complete the CITI Course in the Responsible Conduct of Research and other RCR training options in the area of specific interest or expertise.
More RCR information and resources are included below:
SHARED VALUES OF RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT
| > HONESTY | Conveying information truthfully and honoring commitments |
| > ACCURACY | Reporting findings precisely and taking care to avoid errors |
| > EFFICIENCY | Using resources wisely and avoiding waste, and |
| > OBJECTIVITY | Letting the facts speak for themselves and avoiding improper bias. |
(from: Steneck, Nicholas; ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research, United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2004, ISBN 0-16-072285-3)
The University of Alaska Anchorage is proactive in the vision of supporting campus wide incorporation of these shared values in research education. Combining adherence to federal regulations, agency policies and university institutional policies is complex.
In support of the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) recognized nine core competencies as focus areas for instruction.
These are:
1. Data acquisition, management, sharing, and ownership,
2. Mentor/trainee responsibilities,
3. Publication practices and responsible authorship,
4. Peer review,
5. Collaborative science,
6. Human subjects (IRB),
7. Research involving animals (IACUC),
8. Research misconduct, and
9. Conflict of interest and commitment
(from ORI http://ori.dhhs.gov/education/)
Federal legislation has been passed which regulates required education practices for at least three of the core competencies, animal and human welfare and research misconduct. Three acts passed by Congress support specific regulations which allow the Federal Government the authority to regulate the research it funds:
* The 1966 Animal Welfare Act (PL 89-544)
* The 1974 National Research Act (PL 93-348)
* The 1985 Health Research Extension Act (PL 99-158)
Some other critical areas of research education also center around applications of research behavior and policies. Competence and safe practices are vital in the areas of environmental health laboratory safety, intellectual property issues and conflict management and fiscal responsibility.
The on-going process of ensuring the integrity of the research record is the responsibility of everyone involved in research and sponsored programs, from the principal investigator, to the department administrators to the grant technicians and financial managers. There can be no exceptions to upholding values which foster highest integrity in all levels of responsible research.
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI), US Dept. of Health and Human Services, has RCR (responsible conduct of research) educational resources in core instructional areas including, General, Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing, and Ownership, Conflicts of Interest and Commitment, Human Subjects, Animal Welfare, Research Misconduct, Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship, Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities, Peer Review, and Collaborative Science. (See http://ori.hhs.gov/education/rcr_resources.shtml for instructional materials.)
RCREC (Responsible Conduct of Research Education Consortium) offers resources for further RCR education including: 1) a Columbia University RCR Course, 2) Online Resource for RCR Instructors and 3) Current Resources for RCR Education (PowerPoint presentation).
A helpful resource is a booklet by the Office of Research Integrity entitled ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research. The booklet can be downloaded here or go to http://www.ori.hhs.gov/education/.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formed a "compliance assistance center" to aid universities with understanding and meeting the requirements of environmental laws. The EPA compliance link is here.
Last update on January 2008
