/Office for Research and Innovation
Research Compliance

Overview of Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in NOT-OD-10-019, defines responsible conduct of research "as the practice of scientific investigation with integrity - it involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research". 

Stony Brook University (SBU) is committed to fostering and maintaining a culture of integrity across our diverse community.  SBU ensures compliance with appropriate formal training requirements for the responsible conduct of research and scholarship as part of this commitment.

Campus Policy

Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship

Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NOT-OD-10-019 (click here)

NIH requires that all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training grant, career development grant (individual or institutional), research education grant, and dissertation research grant must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research.

Applicable programs include: D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1, KL2, R25, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R programs, and any other NIH funded programs supporting research training, career development, or research education that require instruction in RCR per the relevant funding opportunity announcement.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act (click here)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a new mandate that expands the existing Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) training requirements.

For proposals submitted to NSF on or after July 31, 2023, all researchers, including faculty, post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students, and other senior personnel named on proposals to NSF must complete RECR training before engaging in research projects sponsored by the NSF.

This requirement reflects two changes:

  • the RECR training requirement has expanded, and now applies to faculty and other senior personnel, as well as undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and
  • the RECR training must include training on mentorship.

Principal Investigators are responsible for ensuring all researchers, including faculty, post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students, and other senior personnel supported through their grant(s) complete training at the start of work on the research project.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

2 CFR Part 422, Sections 2, 3, and 8 (click here)

NIFA requires that all program directors, faculty, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and any staff participating in a research project funded by NIFA receive RCR training. Documentation of the training is subject to review by NIFA upon request. ORC reviews a monthly report of all persons paid from USDA awards for the previous month.  Any persons being paid from a USDA grant receives correspondence from ORC regarding non-completion of training.

In-Person Training should promote discussion, foster a climate of ethical conduct of research and scholarly activities, and provide efficient opportunities for training.

A successful program includes, as appropriate to the discipline, the following topics:

  1. Conflict of interest - personal, professional, and financial
  2. Mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
  3. Collaborative research including collaborations with industry
  4. Peer review
  5. Data acquisition and research tools; management, sharing and ownership
  6. Research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
  7. Responsible authorship and publication
  8. The scholar as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues and the environmental and societal impacts of research in the discipline
  9. Policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices

Generation of discipline-specific requirements should consider formal mechanisms for training via RCRS coursework/ lecture series/workshops, journal clubs, GRD 500 (as available); laboratory rotations; or other curriculum, as well as less formal training opportunities through faculty meetings; laboratory meetings; faculty/student retreats; departmental research days. Any activity intended to satisfy the RCR training requirement must be supported by appropriate documentation (attendance, topics covered, etc.).

CITI Access: "Log in through your institution" using your NetID and password

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. Type in “SUNY - University at Stony Brook”
  5. You will be asked to continue to SSO Login/Instructions
  6. Enter your Stony Brook NetID and Password (and go through 2-factor authentication)
How to find the required CITI course for RCR training
  1. The main menu on the page will have a top bar that says SUNY – University at Stony Brook. Hover over “Institution List” and click on this blue bar.
  2. The title of this page is Institutional Courses. Click on “View Courses”
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page
  4. Under the heading of “Learner Tools” the first option is “Add a Course.” Click on this option.
  5. 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.
  6. Click “Next” on the bottom of the web page
  7. Click on the “Basic course” button.  Then click “Next” on the bottom of the page.
  8. You will reach a page that tells you to choose the course related to your discipline.
  9. Click on the box next to the option on the list that is related to your discipline. Then click “Next” at the bottom of the page.
The relevant RCRS module should be selected:
  • Biomedical
  • Social & Behavioral Research
  • Physical Sciences
  • Humanities
  • Engineers

Courses within each discipline cover areas such Research Misconduct, Data Management, Conflict of Interest, Collaborative Science, Responsible Authorship, Mentoring, Peer Review, Lab Animals, and Human Subjects.

In-Person Training Modules

The following modules can be used for the Responsible Conduct of Research in-person training. The modules include an Overview, Case Examples, Videos, and Role Play. Some or all of the content can be used for in-person training. If you have questions about the use of these modules, please contact Rebecca Dahl at 631-632-6541.

Please scroll to the bottom to find the previous training videos which are now archived but are still available for use.

Standard Operating Procedures (posted 3.09.2023)

Academic Unit  Point of Contact
College of Arts and Sciences Soraya Zabihi
  Bonita London
College of Business Julia Bear
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Deborah Mann
School of Dental Medicine Stephen Walker 
 School of Health Professions Hants Williams
School of Communication and Journalism Xia Zheng
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Jackie Collier
School of Medicine  Elinor Schoenfeld
School of Nursing Ann-Margaret Navarra
School of Professional Development Craig Markson
School of Social Welfare  Michelle Ballan

A Complementary Policy defines the academic unit's requirements for completion of RCRS training for their faculty, research staff, post-doctoral associates,  graduate students, research visitors, and undergraduate students involved in research and scholarship (the creation of new knowledge or the creation of novel expressions of knowledge in any form.).

Stony Brook University Guidelines for RCRS

SBU requires that each school/college (academic unit) develop a RCR/RCRS training policy for faculty, research staff, post-doctoral associates, graduate students, research visitors, and undergraduate students that are NOT otherwise required to complete training under the NIH or NSF policies.  

Each school/college (academic unit) has developed a RCRS training policy

Any questions regarding the complementary policies should be addressed to the relevant school/college (academic unit).

College of Arts and Sciences

College of Business

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

School of Dental Medicine

School of Health Professions

School of Communication and Journalism

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

School of Medicine

School of Nursing 

School of Professional Development

School of Social Welfare

General Ethics Training

On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, The National Academies of Science Engineering Medicine

Ethics Core (University of Illinois online ethics resource)

Assessing the Need for a Research Ethics Remediation Program by James M. DuBois , D.Sc., Ph.D., Emily E. Anderson , Ph.D., and John Chibnall , Ph.D.

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Toolkit, National Postdoctoral Association

Conflicts of Interest and Commitment

Office of Research Integrity
SBU Conflict of Interest

Data Management

Office of Research Integrity

Data Integrity

For Better Science

Mentorship

Office of Research Integrity

Peer Review

Office of Research Integrity

Authorship

Office of Research Integrity

Animal Subjects Research

Office of Research Integrity
SBU Division of Laboratory Animal Resources

Human Subjects Research

Office of Research Integrity
SBU Human Subjects

Scientific Misconduct

Office of Research Integrity: Case Studies: Dr. Thompson's Lab
Office of Research Integrity Infographics ORI has developed a series of infographics addressing the RCR and handling of research misconduct.  These include:  "Everyone Plays a Role in Research Integrity", "5 Ways Supervisors Can Promote Research Integrity", "The Research Community Safeguards Scientific Integrity",  " Possible Red Flags of Research Misconduct", "Tips for Presenting Scientific Images with Integrity", "Research Trainees:  What You Should Know about Research Misconduct", "Write Ethically from Start to Finish", and "You Suspect Research Misconduct. Now What?"

Office of Research Integrity: The Research Clinic
Office of Research Integrity:  Research Misconduct; Understanding Plagiarism; and Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism, Self-Plagiarism, and Other Questionable Writing Practices:  A Guide to Ethical Writing
Office of Research Integrity: The Lab
New York Times: Misconduct Widespread in Retracted Science Papers, Study Finds
Science Codex: Men More Likely to Commit Research Misconduct than Female Counterparts 
Plagiarism Editorial: Goodman and Mallet
New York Times: An Unwelcome Discovery
New York Times: Crack Down on Scientific Fraudsters
Washington Post: Famed Japanese Stem-Cell Scientist Dies in Apparent Suicide Amid Retraction Scandal

Questions

Answers

I think I have taken the Responsible Conduct of Research course. How can I find out?

Go to https://www.citiprogram.org/ and log in though Stony Brook University. Scroll down to the “Completed Courses”. If you have taken the Responsible Conduct of Research course, it will appear as “completed” in the “Completed Courses” section.

How do I know if I took the “mentoring” module?

All of the courses for the Responsible Conduct of Research have the “mentoring” module. If you took and passed the Responsible Conduct of Research course, you took and passed the “mentoring” module.

If I have not taken the Responsible Conduct of Research course, where do I go to take it?

You can access the Responsible Conduct of Research training by following the instructions listed below.

How do I 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. Type in “SUNY - University at Stony Brook”

  5. You will be asked to continue to SSO Login/Instructions

  6. Enter your Stony Brook NetID and Password (and go through 2-factor authentication)

NOTE: CITI access requires use of your NetID and password.

How do I find the required CITI course for RCR training?

  1. The main menu on the page will have a top bar that says SUNY – University at Stony Brook. Hover over “Institution List” and click on this blue bar.

  2. The title of this page is Institutional Courses. Click on “View Courses”

  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page

  4. Under the heading of “Learner Tools” the first option is “Add a Course.” Click on this option.

  5. 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.

  6. Click “Next” on the bottom of the web page

  7. Click on the “Basic course” button.  Then click “Next” on the bottom of the page.

  8. You will reach a page that tells you to choose the course related to your discipline.

  9. Click on the box next to the option on the list that is related to your discipline. Then click “Next” at the bottom of the page.