Responsible Conduct of Research
Op4.01-4 Responsible Conduct of Research
()Policy statement
To promote research integrity, ethical conduct in research, and to comply with federal requirements, Missouri State encourages all student, staff, and faculty researchers to be trained in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Missouri State requires graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, associates, and trainees supported by specific federal research funds to be trained within 90 days of the start of support by the federal awarding agency. This requirement can be fulfilled by completing University-approved training. Those designated as Mentors to the covered individuals will also be required to complete the training within the same time period. The training will cover the following nine instructional areas as designated by the Office of Research Integrity, Department of Health and Human Services:
- Research Misconduct;
- Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing and Ownership;
- Publication Practices and Responsible Authorship;
- Peer Review;
- Mentor and Trainee Responsibilities;
- Animal Welfare;
- Conflicts of Interest and Commitment;
- Collaborative Research;
- Human Subjects.
A specific, procedural RCR training plan will be developed and maintained by the Office of Research Administration. Training completion will be monitored and documentation of participation will be kept by the Office of Research Administration and produced upon request from the sponsor.
Certification of plan
For all proposals sent to the National Science Foundation (NSF) on or after January 4, 2010, Missouri State University is required to certify the existence of a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers participating in the proposed research project.
For specific proposals sent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on or after January 25, 2010, Missouri State University is required to certify the existence of a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research by all individuals supported by specific NIH awards requiring responsible conduct of research instruction.
Consequences for failure to complete training
Covered individuals who fail to complete the required RCR training will be prohibited from further activities on the research project and will have research support revoked. Any federal funds expended for support of such individuals will be removed from grant funds and will be charged to an appropriate department fund. Investigators who do not comply with this policy may be disciplined according to University Policy.