As of January 2010, the National Science Foundation (NSF) requires that applicant institutions have in place—at the time of proposal submission—a plan for providing "appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers."[1]
In support of the NSF requirement, GU has identified a program offered through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to meet this Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) requisite and specifics are described below. We extend and encourage this RCR training for all faculty, staff, students, and researchers at GU with an interest in ethics education and the responsible conduct of research and scholarship.
The GU Plan for Fulfilling the RCR Requirement
The NIH public access course about the Responsible Conduct of Research is available to the GU research community free of charge. "Protecting Human Research Participants online training consists of seven modules, each addressing the principles used to define ethical research using humans and the regulations, policies, and guidance that describe the implementation of those principles," according to the NIH Office of Extramural Research. The entire course, which can be worked module by module, will take approximately 3 hours to complete.
Upon finishing all seven modules of the RCR course, you may opt to receive a certificate of completion.
Note to Faculty Researchers
It is a Principal Investigator's responsibility to inform undergraduate students, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows paid from NSF funds of the mandatory RCR training.
How to Begin
(1) Go to to register for the NIH online training.
(2) First-time users should press the "Registration" button. (Returning users may enter their e-mail address and the password they created for the site.) Pressing the "Registration" button will result in the display of a User Registration form.
(3) Register by entering your e-mail address, creating a password, and completing the form. Then press "Create Account." This will result in a display containing an overview of the course, instructions, and other information. Use links on that information page to access the training homepage.
Once you have completed the preceding steps you are logged in and registered for the course. You may begin the appropriate module or log out and return at another time. If you chose to log out, when you return to the NIH homepage you will not to register again. You will login with the e-mail address you supplied and the password you already created. Upon completion of the course, you may opt to receive a certificate of completion.
- Questions? Please email the Institutional Review Board, IRB@gonzaga.edu
- For more background information, please see: .
- In addition to the above, the following National Science Foundation website includes the actual Statutory Requirement, Federal Register Notices, and that provide resources on ethics education in science and engineering.