Responsible Conduct of Research

Responsible conduct of research (RCR) is defined as "the practice of scientific investigation with integrity." It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research.

As part of the America COMPETES Act of 2007, all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH or NSF training, career development , research education, or fellowship grants must receive instruction in responsible conduct of research at least once every four years during each career stage (undergraduate student, graduate student, postdoctoral associate).

At Baylor College of Medicine, all research participants are encouraged to participate in RCR training. Graduate students receive RCR training as part of the curriculum within the MS and PhD programs offered at BCM. For postdocs, there are annual training sessions held each spring in the months of March, April, and May. This training takes place via 4 training modules, each including lecture topics and small-group case study discussions. If all four training modules are not completed in the same year, the remainder can be completed the following year. Modules are independent and can be viewed in any order.

Each year on the first Monday in February, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences will announce dates for Postdoc RCR training. This announcement will be made via the BCM Postdoc Listserv. Registration is handled via the PAPS system by the announced deadlines.