Chapman University is committed to ethical conduct in all aspects of teaching, research, creative and scholarly activities, and service. Various funding agencies have requirements related to the training of students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty related to responsible and ethical conduct in research (RECR). Although requirements vary by funding agency, faculty are expected to make the ethical conduct of research a part of mentoring and discussions with students and mentees on an ongoing basis.
National Institutes of Health:
All trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training award, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant must receive RECR training (more details can be found on the NIH website. This policy applies to the following programs and other NIH-funded programs that specify an RCR training requirement: D43, D71, F05, F30, F31, F32, F33, F34, F37, F38, K01, K02, K05, K07, K08, K12, K18, K22, K23, K24, K25, K26, K30, K99/R00, KL1, KL2, R25, R36, T15, T32, T34, T35, T36, T37, T90/R90, TL1, TU2, and U2R. For NIH training awards, online RECR training (CITI) alone is not sufficient to meet NIH regulatory requirements. NIH states that “acceptable programs generally involve at least eight contact hours.” Principal Investigators should contact the Office of Research & Graduate Education for guidance on what supplemental activities, in addition to the online basic training, are required.
National Science Foundation (NSF):
Effective for all awards made from proposals submitted after July 31, 2023, all faculty, senior/key personnel, undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers participating in an NSF project must complete RECR training. Chapman is required to have a plan in place to ensure proper training and oversight of RECR for all personnel who will be supported by NSF to conduct research. As noted in Chapter II.D.1.d(iv), an institutional certification to this effect is required for each proposal. Chapman’s plan can be found here.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA):
Institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research are required to foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures (NIFA Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research). USDA recommends the completion of the RCR training module through CITI.
Tracking training
Principal Investigators are responsible for ensuring that individuals supported by these sources of funding receive RECR training as required by the sponsor. The Office of Research Integrity & Compliance (RIC) may periodically monitor compliance with this training requirement to ensure program effectiveness.