Policy on the Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS)

I. Background:

Stony Brook University policy P211 requires members and certain visitors of the Stony Brook University community to complete educational training on the responsible conduct of research and scholarship in order to equip members with the tools necessary to conduct ethically sound and compliant research and scholarship.

While this campus policy originates in response to National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) training requirements, it is the opinion of the University that training on responsible conduct of research and scholarship should be more comprehensive. Jointly issued by the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Senior Vice-President for Health Sciences, and the Vice-President for Research, the policy requires each academic unit to develop its own Complementary Policy for implementing P211 to allow for the most appropriate requirements for the faculty, staff and students of that academic unit.

The educational program in RCRS involves two (2) components: on-line training provided by the web-based Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) and in-person training (IPT). The policy below outlines who in the College of Business is required to complete these training components, the required frequency of such training, and the general content of the training.

Please note: If a person is receiving external grant support from an agency with a RCRS training requirement, they MUST follow the requirements set forth by the agency. For example, both NIH and NSF have training requirements for whom they consider "trainees." It is important for individuals to review the RCRS training policies set forth by the agencies funding their research.

II. Policy for RCRS Requirements:

All members* of the College of Business (and those it serves) who participate as originators of research and/or scholarly activity under the auspices of the College of Business will be required to complete a one-time only on-line course in the Responsible Conduct of Research on the CITI web site ("A") and participate each year in in-person training in the RCRS with some exceptions for students and visitors. Please note: If a person is receiving external grant support from an agency with a RCRS training requirement – they must follow the guidelines set forth by the specific agency. For example, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have a policy on RCRS training for any grant recipient and their laboratory members.

*All faculty (full time faculty, tenure track, research faculty and instructors), staff, students, and visiting faculty members who originate any research or scholarship are required to do training. Exemptions to this training can be requested in writing, directed to the appropriate area head or to the Dean of the COB. However, once the exemption is approved, the individual cannot originate any research or scholarship and cannot have their name attached to any publications or presentations. If an exempt person does participate in research or scholarly activity – they will be in violation of Stony Brook University Policy 211.

On-line CITI training

Please see Appendix A.

In-person training in the Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship

Depending on their level of research activity, members** of the College of Business (and those it serves) who participate as originators of research and/or scholarly activity under the auspices of the College of Business may be required to participate in in-person RCRS training for one-hour per year for each year that they are involved in research activities (aside from being a subject).

** Graduate and Under-Graduate Students:

All Graduate and Under-Graduate Students (MS or MBA) who are administering research protocols (e.g., collect data) must complete the On-line CITI training requirement. In addition, students who work on supervised research projects for a thesis are required to participate in in-person RCRS training for one-hour per year for each year that they are involved in research activities (aside from being a subject).

Faculty:

All faculty who participate as originators of research and/or scholarly activity under the auspices of the College of Business will be required to complete a one-time only on-line course in the Responsible Conduct of Research on the CITI web site ("A"). Faculty members who maintain an active research laboratory/program will also have to participate in 1-hour of in-person training each year. Faculty members (such as some full-time faculty and instructors) who do not engage in research/scholarly activities are still required to complete the on-line course in RCRS.

Staff:

Any staff member that conducts research, such as the Behavioral Laboratory support person or Director, will participate in only 1-hour of in-person training each year.

College of Business visitors:

Individuals who are visiting scholars and who intend to conduct research for less than 1-year, are not required to participate in in-person training. However, if such a visitor conducts research for more than one calendar year; they will be required to participate in 1-hour of in-person training each year. They must also show proof that they have completed an on-line CITI training at their home University.

After completion of in-person training in RCRS, participants' names will be added to the RCRS compliance training database by the Director of the subject pool at the COB, administered by the SBU Office of Research Compliance.

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Appendix A: Instructions for accessing the CITI on-line training

1. How to log onto the CITI Program to complete the on-line training
   1. Go to https://www.citiprogram.org
   2. On the upper right side of the screen, click "Log In"
   3. Directly below the CITI Program logo, click "Log In Through My Institution"
   4. Find and click on "SUNY - University at Stony Brook"
   5. Enter your Stony Brook NetID and Password
2. How to find the required CITI course
   1. The main menu on the page will have a top bar that says "SUNY – University at Stony Brook Courses." Click on this blue bar.
   2. Under the heading of "My Learner Tools" the first option is "Add a Course." Click on this option.
   3. The next page will have several options on the menu. Click on the first box, next to the words "I want to complete an RCR Course at this time." Do not be concerned by the note that states that the course does not satisfy SBU Human Subjects training requirements.
   4. Click "Next" on the bottom of the web page
   5. Click on the "Basic course" button. Then click "Next" on the bottom of the page.
   6. You will reach a page that tells you to choose the course mostly related to your discipline.
   7. Click on the box which is appropriate for your type of research.
      a. Click on the box next to the 2nd option on the list: "The Social and Behavioral Sciences Course in the RCR". Then click "Next" at the bottom of the page.
      b. Choice 1 – click next to the 1st option on the list: "Biomedical Sciences Course in the RCR". Then click "Next" at the bottom of the page.

3. How to find and download your completion certificate for the CITI training program

   1. Once you have logged in to the CITI program website (see instructions in Part A) look for the menu bar across the top of the web page. Click on "My Reports"

   2. You will see a list of the courses you have completed. Look for the heading "Responsible Conduct of Research in the Biomedical Sciences or Responsible Conduct of Research in the Social and Behavioral Sciences."

   3. Once you have identified the course, look to the right side of the screen.

   4. Under the column labelled "Completion Report," click on "View/Print". There will be a download-button on the top right of the screen (next to the icon of a printer). Download this PDF document and save it in your records.

   5. If you are a student, upload your PDF document to the corresponding assignment on your course's Blackboard page.

   6. For all others, using your stonybrook.edu email address, e-mail the PDF of the completion report to the appropriate administrator as specified in the policy.

Congratulations! You have completed the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI program) training on Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) — Ignore the "Expiration Date." You only need to complete this course once.