Responsible Conduct of Research
Training in Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is an institution-wide comprehensive training program conducted by the Graduate School. The program is presented as a zero-credit course (GS0900) that provides general training in research practices. Additional discipline-specific training is provided by each individual departments or programs. The Graduate School's goal is to provide training in the general or core principles of RCR that, when combined with discipline-specific training, constitutes a complete program.
Course fall 2024
This course is required for all PhD students and is recommended for all postdoctoral trainees. It is required for postdoctoral trainees funded by the WSU Office of the Vice President for Research, by the NIH, NSF, and other agencies. Failure to complete the course may compromise a trainee’s ability to obtain or maintain external fellowship funding and attainment of candidacy status; it may also compromise a mentor's compliance with funding agencies.
For fall 2024, the class will be entirely online. All components will be accessible through the GS0900 course site on Canvas. Ph.D. students can register for the course here. When searching for the course, enter 0900 in the course number box. The course registration number (CRN) is 12677.
Postdoctoral scholars can register for the course here.
Responsible conduct of research (RCR) training is composed of two components:
- Online modules that provide general information on responsible conduct of research, as well as WSU-specific information and resources related to RCR.
- Discipline-specific instruction delivered by the student’s department or program.
A passing grade in the GS0900 course requires the successful completion of component 1.
Discipline-specific training (component 2) is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of RCR principles. The trainee’s program, department or advisor is responsible for providing discipline-specific training, which can be done as a formal stand-alone course, a component of a broader introductory or methods course, or in a less formal manner, such as a seminar dedicated to discipline-specific issues of responsible research.
Per NIH guidelines, RCR training must be refreshed every 4 years and all trainees must take an online refresher course after a four-year period.
*Postdocs funded by OVPR are required to attend this course during their first year; failure to do so will result in funds for year two not being transferred. Postdocs funded by federal funds (e.g. NIH and NSF) are also required to attend this course during their first year, per the U.S. government. All other postdocs are highly recommended to take this course during their first year at Wayne State. Questions? Please contact postdocs@wayne.edu.
Questions? Contact Associate Dean Todd Leff, Ph.D., at tleff@wayne.edu.