Responsible Conduct of Research

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Policy

The University of Richmond's research misconduct and responsible conduct of research polices can be found at: University of Richmond Research Misconduct and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Policies. The policy specifically requires that all federally funded researchers must participate in verifiable training on the responsible conduct of research. This new policy can be found on the Provost's website under "Faculty Resources". (Use the dropdown menu to access the "Additional Guides and Faculty Policies." The Research Misconduct and RCR Policy is accessible there.)

Researchers are often required to conduct training on the responsible conduct of research. As of January 4, 2016 there are 450 members of the University of Richmond community who have initiated RCR training. Instructions for registering for CITI training on the responsible conduct of research can be accessed on the IRB Researcher Training Requirements page or HERE. Note that there are four different RCR courses and researchers should be careful to register for the appropriate course:

a. Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research Course
b. Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research Course
c. Physical Science Responsible Conduct of Research Course
d. Humanities Responsible Conduct of Research Course.

The U.S. Office of Research Integrity provides excellent resources on the responsible conduct of research (RCR), including an online book on Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research.

The responsible conduct of research seeks to ensure that researchers and institutions do not engage in research misconduct. According to 42 CFR Part 93, research misconduct is defined as the “fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.”

University of Richmond Research Misconduct Policy

All universities receiving federal funds for research must have a policy for dealing with research misconduct. The University of Richmond 2011 Policy on Research Misconduct meets this requirement and lays out the process for reporting and investigating research misconduct. If you have questions regarding research misconduct, please contact the IRB Chair at irb@richmond.edu.