| Responsible conduct of research (RCR) has many dimensions, including: (a) responsible conduct, research misconduct, and whistle-blowing; (b) lab safety and security; (c) intellectual property; (d) data management; (e) protection of human participants; (f) use of animal subjects; (g) authorship decisions; (h) publication; (i) peer review of submitted scholarly works; and (j) conflicts of commitment and interest.
Teaching RCR to graduate students is a challenge given the changing landscape of the research enterprise. For example, research teams often include colleagues from other academic units, universities, and agencies, as well as representatives from funding agencies or corporations, contributing to concerns about intellectual property, authorship, and data management. Additional government and university regulations include HIPAA regulations on the privacy of personal health information, NSF requirements that funded graduate students are educated in RCR, and emerging policies at many universities related to topics such as conflicts of interest and lab security. In addition, there is less effective self-regulation of RCR by professional organizations, in large part due to the ever increasing number of active researchers. The problem of mentoring graduate students is complicated by the scope of the research enterprise, especially at research-extensive universities, the variance in expertise across faculty members, and the lack of specific requirements for RCR mentoring on many campuses.
The major objective of this presentation is to provide mentors with tools such as case studies and vignettes for teaching RCR to graduate students, as well as to discuss the effectiveness of various delivery systems such as advising sessions, lab meetings, workshops, courses, publications, and on-line tutorials. Suggested informational resources will be presented. |
| Speakers: Gail M. Dummer, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Karen P. DePauw, NASHPERSD President; Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA; and Michael J. Roskamp, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI |