As outlined in the UAB Enterprise Code of Conduct, UAB is committed to conducting its affairs in ways that promote mutual trust and public confidence. All members of the UAB community are responsible for sustaining the highest ethical standards of excellence, integrity, honesty, and fairness and for integrating these values into teaching, research, patient care, business practices, and other services. Ethical conduct is a fundamental expectation for every UAB community member. This is critical to our research mission. UAB has the responsibility to assure that UAB faculty, researchers, trainees, and staff are aware of our expectations, and have the resources necessary.
UAB affirms its commitment to federal and non-federal funding and regulatory agencies regarding Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. Summarized below is the minimum training expected to be provided to our students at each level, as well as for faculty and other researchers. As applicable, for circumstances in which UAB, as a pass-through entity, issues a subaward(s) to a subrecipient(s) under UAB’s prime sponsored project award, UAB’s Principal Investigator (or award manager designee) will need document the subrecipient’s personnel have met the sponsor’s RCR training requirements.
How to Access CITI Online Training and Affiliate with UAB for the First Time:
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Go to www.citiprogram.org
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Click on Log in through my institution or the box in the middle that says, “Log in via SSO.”
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Scroll down to University of Alabama at Birmingham (#53) and click UAB.
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This takes you to the Blazer ID sign in page, sign in.
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A pop up screen will come up, click continue.
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Select the option for “I don’t have an account and need to create one.”
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Click on blue link at the bottom.
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Click on add a course.
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Take the required modules;
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For Faculty and Staff
Please see our dedicated webpage: RCR Training for Faculty and Staff.
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For Undergraduate students engaged in mentored research
Course
RCR Abbreviated Course for Undergraduate Students
Rationale / Description
Funding agencies, including NSF and NIH, have expectations about RCR training for students involved in mentored research. To meet these expectations, undergraduate students engaged in research activities at UAB are required to complete RCR training described below prior to the start of the research experience.
This plan requires on-line instruction; while supplemental in-person training is strongly encouraged, it is not mandatory. This plan was drafted in consultation with faculty and staff from across campus together with the Office of Undergraduate Research, and patterned after related programs at other research-intensive institutions (e.g. Duke, Emory, GA Tech, JHU, UNC, Vanderbilt). Required On-line Training Required on-line training includes successful completion of six CITI Program RCR modules; successful completion of each module is defined as a quiz score of 80% of greater. The modules listed below in bold are required; however, students may complete additional modules, if desired.
Available Modules:- Collaborative Research
- data management
- research, ethics, and society
- plagiarism
- research misconduct
- authorship
- mentoring
- peer review
- introduction to RCR
- conflict of interest
- use of animal subjects in research
- research involving human subjects
Supplemental In-person Training
Supplemental in person training, which reinforces information within the online modules, is strongly encouraged, but not required. Such training may be accomplished via in-class discussions of an undergraduate research-related course or an RCR-related workshop. Documentation / Evaluation Successful completion of the online training component is documented directly via CITI Program RCR module quizzes; documentation will be housed by the UAB Office of Undergraduate Research. Metrics to evaluate the success of the proposed undergraduate RCR training plan include:- percentage / number of undergraduates who successfully complete on-line training based on the overall number required
- feedback from course directors and/or research mentors regarding undergraduates’ knowledge and practice of RCR in a research setting
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For M.S. students in research-based degree programs
Course
RCR Basic Course
Rationale / Description
Funding agencies, including NSF and NIH, have expectations about RCR training for students involved in mentored research. To meet these expectations, masters plan I (MS-I) students engaged in research activities at UAB are required to complete RCR training described below prior to admission to candidacy. Doctoral students who are required to earn a master’s degree (plan I or II) as a part of their PhD program should complete the RCR requirement for doctoral students (GRD 717).
This plan is a blended approach that combines required on-line instruction and in-person training components. It was drafted in consultation with faculty and staff from across campus together with the Office of Undergraduate Research, and patterned after related programs at other research-intensive institutions (e.g. Duke, Emory, GA Tech, JHU, UNC, Vanderbilt).
On-line Training Components
On-line training includes successful completion of six CITI Program RCR modules; successful completion of each module will be defined as a quiz score of 80% of greater. Students may choose from the modules listed below; however, those in bold are required.
Available modules:
- collaborative Research
- data management
- research, ethics, and society
- plagiarism
- research misconduct
- authorship
- mentoring
- peer review
- introduction to RCR
- conflict of interest
- use of animal subjects in research
- research involving human subjects
In-person Training Components
In-person training requires successful completion of the on-line training modules prior to participation in the equivalent of a two-hour discussion that focuses upon an RCR case study. These discussions may be facilitated during in-class sessions of a graduate research-related course. To comply with this requirement, course directors may submit a course syllabus and relevant class materials for review and approval by the UAB RCR coordinator; these items will be reviewed with regard to RCR content.
If course materials are deemed unacceptable and/or no relevant class sessions are offered, the in-person training component may be completed through attendance and participation in an RCR workshop that will be organized and facilitated by the UAB RCR Coordinator.
Documentation / Evaluation
Successful completion of each training component is documented via on-line CITI Program RCR module quizzes and class or workshop attendance. Metrics to evaluate the success of the proposed M.S. students RCR training plan include:
- percentage / number of MS-I students who successfully complete on-line and in-person training based on the overall number required
- feedback from course directors and/or research mentors regarding MS-I students’ knowledge and practice of RCR in a research setting
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For Ph.D. students
Course
RCR Basic Course
Rationale / Description
Funding agencies, including NSF and NIH, have expectations and requirements with regard to RCR training for trainees involved in research. To meet these expectations and requirements, all doctoral (PhD) graduate students engaged in any mentored research activities at UAB are required to complete the RCR training plan described below either in their first year of mentored research (PD) or prior to admission to candidacy (PhD). RCR training must occur at least once every four years.
This training plan is a blended approach that combines on-line instruction and in-person training components. It was drafted in consultation with faculty and staff from UAB professional schools, including but not limited to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and the UAB Graduate School. It is patterned after related programs at other research-intensive institutions (e.g. Duke, Emory, etc).
On-line Training Components
On-ln-line training includes successful completion of all CITI Program RCR modules as listed below; successful completion of each module is defined as a quiz score of 80% of greater.
CITI RCR modules:
- Introduction to RCR
- data management
- research, ethics, and society
- plagiarism
- research misconduct
- authorship
- mentoring
- peer review
- collaborative research
- conflict of interest
- use of animal subjects in research
- research involving human subjects
- environmental and social dimensions of engineering
- export controls and national security
In-person Training Components
In-person training requires successful completion of all of the on-line training modules prior to participation in an eight-hour workshop, which includes discussion of RCR case studies and participation in interactive elements. With this design, in-person training reinforces the information contained within the online modules and provides an opportunity to explore the intersectionality of RCR topics. The in-person training workshops are facilitated by a team of graduate faculty who have active research programs and extensive training experience.
Workshops are offered on Saturdays in order to accommodate trainees’ research schedules; accommodations for trainees unable to participate on Saturdays are also provided.
Documentation / Evaluation
Successful completion of both on-line and in-person training components is documented via on- line quizzes and workshop attendance. Metrics to evaluate the success of GRD 717 RCR training include:- percentage/number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who complete on-line and in- person training successfully based on overall number required
- the number of graduate faculty who participate as facilitators of the in-person workshop
- feedback from trainees, faculty, and training program directors regarding trainees’ knowledge and practice of RCR in a research setting
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For Postdoctoral fellows
Course
RCR Basic Course
Rationale / Description
Funding agencies, including NSF and NIH, have expectations and requirements with regard to RCR training for trainees involved in research. To meet these expectations and requirements, all postdoctoral (PD) fellows engaged in any mentored research activities at UAB are required to complete the RCR training plan described below in their first year of mentored research. If the postdoctoral fellow can provide documentation of RCR training equivalent to that offered through GRD 717, the requirement can be appealed to the Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs. RCR training must occur at least once every four years.
This training relies on a blended approach that combines on-line instruction and in-person training. It was drafted in consultation with faculty and staff from UAB professional schools, including but not limited to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine and the UAB Graduate School. The plan is patterned after related programs at other research-intensive institutions.
On-line Training Components
On-ln-line training includes successful completion of all CITI Program RCR modules as listed below; successful completion of each module is defined as a quiz score of 80% of greater.
CITI RCR modules:
- Introduction to RCR
- data management
- research, ethics, and society
- plagiarism
- research misconduct
- authorship
- mentoring
- peer review
- collaborative research
- conflict of interest
- use of animal subjects in research
- research involving human subjects
- environmental and social dimensions of engineering
- export controls and national security
In-person Training Components
Successful completion of all of the on-line training modules is followed by participation in an eight-hour workshop, which includes discussion of RCR case studies and participation in interactive elements. With this design, in-person training reinforces the information contained within the online modules and provides an opportunity to explore the intersectionality of RCR topics. The in-person training workshops are facilitated by a team of graduate faculty who have active research programs and extensive training experience.
Workshops are offered on Saturdays in order to accommodate trainees’ research schedules; accommodations for trainees unable to participate on Saturdays are also provided.
Documentation / Evaluation
Successful completion of both on-line and in-person training components is documented via on- line quizzes and workshop attendance.