Consider what it means to be a responsible researcher. What does it mean to be ethical? Of course, one must be in compliance with rules and regulations. But in addition, ethical researchers think critically about the range of their behaviors that impact others -- their research subjects, students and trainees, collaborators, and the scientific community and citizens at large. We like the way researchers at The Center for Ethics at the University of Montana describe it:

“One is ethically responsible for far more than for what one can be held legally accountable. It is wrong to lie in many more instances than the lies for which one can be prosecuted. In an analogous fashion …requirements for compliance prescribe a minimal standard for research practice. It is important to know how to be compliant…. But it is equally important that individuals think about how best to meet their role-related responsibilities in ways that go beyond mere compliance with rules and regulations. … Encourage research that is praiseworthy rather than simply discourage research that is blameworthy.”

This training program in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) provides an overview and introduction to the topics and issues in RCR. We invite you to read a brief novel of seven chapters that follows the experiences of Ramona, her graduate student and post-doc colleagues, and her faculty mentors and supervisors. Discussion and Reflection questions prompt you to think and write about your own reactions to these situations and offer advice to the story characters from your knowledge and experiences. Integration questions guide you to new resources and information. Additional on-line and print resources are linked to each chapter for your further reading and reflection.