RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH COURSE (RCR)*

  • ELIGIBILITY

This course is sponsored by the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) at Washington University in St. Louis. The course is offered at no charge to trainees and scholars who are members of the Washington University Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) and are enrolled in the 8-hour course. (Individuals needing fewer than 8 hours of RCR instruction are encouraged to contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research to find a suitable RCR program that can meet their training needs.) Students, faculty, and scholars at Washington University may join the ICTS online: Join the ICTS here.

  • REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESS

  • STEP 1: Complete Program for the Ethical and Responsible Conduct of Science and Scholarship Core Curriculum

    Prior to attending the first session, course participants are expected to complete the Program for the Ethical and Responsible Conduct of Science and Scholarship Core Curriculum, a 90-minute WEB-BASED course, consisting of eight (8) learning modules.

    Completion of the course is documented in the WUSTL Learn@Work system and will be verified by the RCR Course Program Coordinator.

  • STEP 2: Attend SMART Strategies for Professional Decision Making in Research

    Attend the SMART Strategies for Professional Decision Making in Research (2-hour IN-PERSON session). It is strongly recommended that you attend this session prior to attending any of the other sessions. The Foundations session is the only specific session that must be completed; all other sessions are “selectives.” Two SMART Strategy sessions are offered each year (January and August).

  • STEP 3: Attend six additional 1-hour sessions

    Scholars must attend and complete evaluations for a minimum of one (1) foundations session and six (6) additional 1-hour sessions to complete the course for a total of 8 hours of “face-to-face” instruction.

    Each session on a particular topic will only count once towards completion of the course, so scholars should ensure that they attend 6 different sessions in addition to the foundations session. Scholars are welcomed and encouraged to attend additional sessions beyond the required 8hours.

    To ensure that the curricular goals approved by NIH are met within our ICTS RCR program, we only recognize events  listed on the RCR Course Calendar toward course completion.

Late Arrival and Early Departure Policy: For both in-person and online sessions, course participants must plan to arrive prior to or at the start time of each session. Scholars are required to sign in to document their attendance at the in-person session. Attendance will be taken at the start of and throughout the online session. Participants will not be permitted to join a session late. Leaving prior to the conclusion of a session will result in loss of credit for the session.