Research Integrity
Overview of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) at UNT
UNT is committed to instilling in our community of scholars a shared understanding and adherence to the principles of responsible conduct of research. The “UNT Plan for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)” was developed to assist UNT researchers in improving their awareness of RCR topics and to address requirements of the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. These agencies specify that proposals for funding reference the institution’s plan for training involved undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. RCR topics include:
- Research Misconduct
- Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership
- Conflict of Interest and Commitment
- Collaborative Research
- Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship
- Mentoring
- Peer Review
- Care and Use of Animals in Research
- Human Subjects Research
The National Science Foundation's requirements can be found on the NSF's website, as well as their Frequently Asked Questions. The National Institutes of Health's requirements can be found on the NIH website.
CITI Courses in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) is a multi-university program of research-related courses administered by the University of Miami. UNT is a “participating institution” with CITI, and this allows UNT faculty, staff, and students to register and take on-line CITI courses at no cost to the learner. Upon successful completion of a course, the learner receives a “Completion Certificate.” Although CITI previously offered a series of RCR courses by academic discipline, these CITI courses have been consolidated into two general courses:
- UNT RCR Basic Course; and
- UNT RCR Refresher Course
Other RCR Training
The UNT Toulouse Graduate School offers Professional Development workshops. Please consult the workshop schedule for additional RCR training.
U.S. Office of Research Integrity
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) oversees and directs U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) research integrity activities on behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with the exception of the regulatory research integrity activities of the Food and Drug Administration. Organizationally, ORI is located within the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The ORI develops policies and regulations related to research misconduct and responsible conduct of research and monitors research misconduct investigations conducted by awardee institutions. The ORI website contains a number of helpful resources on the topic of research integrity.
ORI has worked with the research community to develop an excellent interactive training video, “The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct.” Click below to watch the video.
Contact for Assistance: Jamie Peno, Director of Research Integrity and Compliance, Phone: 940-565-3941.
*This page contains pdf documents. You can download a free pdf reader here.