Resources for Training Directors

The new requirements for Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Ethics training, directly impacts the Training Directors in each IC. Because there is no one-size-fits-all with respect to research ethics, training tailored to the specific scientific needs of students in each Institute is part of your responsibilities. Before you begin your training programs, we ask that you administer and collect a pre-training survey, to gauge the level of understanding of research ethics of the incoming trainees, and after completion, distribute and collect the post-training survey. These will be used to evaluate effectiveness of our training efforts. Surveys should be combined and sent to the Committee on Scientific Conduct and Ethics (CSCE) for evaluation.

• CSCE Pre-Training Survey
• CSCE Post-Training Survey

NIH Office of Research Integrity (ORI) Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research by Nicholas H. Steneck was distributed to each Training Director in 2014 and is available in PDF format to help you with planning this training.

Resources are also available from the Office of Research Integrity Website, which can provide ideas and suggestion that may enrich you presentations.

Training resources for specific topics include:

• Human Subject Research
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/human-subject-research-0
  • http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/
• Publications/Authorship
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/publicationsauthorship
• Research Misconduct
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/research-misconduct-0
• Animal Resources
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/animal-resources
  • http://oacu.od.nih.gov/training/pi.htm
• Mentorship
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/mentorship-0
• Data Management
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/data-management-0
• Collaborative Science
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/collaborative-science-0
• Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/conflicts-interest-and-commitment
• Peer Review
  • http://ori.hhs.gov/peer-review-0
• Resources and Topics for Teaching Research Ethics
  • http://jmbe.asm.org/index.php/jmbe/issue/view/27

IRP Guidelines

• Recordkeeping
  • Guidelines for Scientific Record Keeping
• Training & Mentoring
  • A Guide to Training and Mentoring
• Collaborative Research
  • http://ombudsman.nih.gov/collaborationTS.html
• Authorship
  • Processes for Authorship Dispute Resolution
• Peer Review
  • http://public.csr.nih.gov/ReviewerResources/Pages/default.aspx
• Social Responsibility
  • Theme 9 - Science and Social Responsibility - Dual Use Research (2009)
  • Theme 10 - Science and Social Responsibility, continued (2010)

Case Studies

RCR should identify the underlying ethical principles and values that guide responsible research. 
Case studies discussions are the most effective teaching method, mainly because of the ease of involving the participants in the issues presented (http://poynter.indiana.edu/files/2113/4849/7612/kdp-cases.pdf). Cases raise awareness of ethical dilemmas that may be encountered in scientific settings. They provide opportunities for face-to-face interactions, role-playing, reflection questions and problem solving. The following on-line resources are available to help with training. Choose those that you think are most appropriate. Or design your own!

The ORI Casebook: Stories about Researchers Worth Discussing (Casebook) provides examples of ethical issues that researchers are liable to encounter.

An Instructors Manual is also available to help you with preparation of presentation and discussion.

Additional case study information may be found by visiting the Case Studies section of the Sourcebook.