The term "responsible conduct of research" encompasses important shared principles of honesty, accuracy, efficiency and objectivity that guide research. These shared principles are equally applicable to scholarly endeavors and creative activities that may not be typically associated with the strict definition of research.
As research has advanced, issues of research integrity have received substantial public attention. Cases of researchers falsifying and fabricating results, unearned authorship and instances of plagiarism have all been featured in recent news. Additional RCR topics of concern are: Data Management, Mentoring, Peer Review, Research Security and Transparency and Collaborative Research. In order to strengthen the integrity of research and creative scholarship, instruction in the responsible conduct of research must be considered a vital part of research and creative scholarship.
RCR at Appalachian
Increasingly, federal laws and regulations are mandating RCR education. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires that institutions have a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in RCR to senior investigators, faculty, research staff, undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers participating in supported projects. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires RCR training for anyone associated with a research project.
All faculty, research staff and students participating in NSF-funded projects, NIH-funded projects, or USDA-NIFA-funded projects must complete RCR training.