Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is one aspect of Furman’s commitment to maintaining the highest possible standards for integrity among its entire research community, including students, faculty, and staff. RCR denotes good citizenship in research conduct. Faculty, students and staff who report their work honestly, accurately, and objectively help maintain trust in research and help convey the ethics of research to future generations of scholars. Furman University has a number of methods for providing research ethics education to its community.
All investigators involved in human subject and animal research are required to complete education focused on the appropriate use of humans and/or animals in research, prior to receiving Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval for specific research protocols. As of January 2010, all undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral investigators that receive financial assistance from the National Science Foundation (NSF) are required to complete a training course on Responsible Conduct of Research. Furman University has adopted CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) as their online resource for training which satisfies the requirements from NSF, the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) and the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). You will find additional information on the required RCR training for NSF/NIH funded research under the CITI page to the right.
Please visit www.furman.edu/irb for information on the educational requirements for human subject research and for education involving animal research, please contact Dr. Dennis Haney, chair of the IACUC, at dennis.haney@furman.edu.
CITI Training Course
We offer help for navigating Responsible Conduct of Research CITI training for undergraduate students, faculty, and staff. Please follow the instructions below on how to complete the required training.
Please go to the CITI website https://www.citiprogram.org/. On the opening screen, register under “Create an account” by entering the name Furman University (Step 1). Continue to Step 2, where you will enter your name (please use your legal name) and Furman email address. Continue through the registration process, answering only those questions denoted by an asterisk (e.g., “employee id number”, etc., does NOT have to be provided).
Once you are registered, you will be able to enroll in any of the courses that you need/want to take. The courses are made up of modules. You may complete a single module at a time and repeat any module. Once you complete a course, you will be able to print out a certificate for that course. You will also be able to revisit completed modules or take elective/optional modules.
Course enrollment is accomplished by answering the following three questions. You will only need to answer Question 2 – Responsible Conduct of Research, for the other two questions listed answer “not at this time.”
Question 1
Human Subjects Research
Question 2
Responsible Conduct of Research
Question 3
Would you like to take the Conflicts of Interest course?
Under Question 2-Responsible Conduct of Research you will be asked to make a selection of the courses offered. Please choose only the course that encompasses your discipline: Physical Science. If you have any questions about which course you should choose or any difficulties in the registration process, please contact Brianne Pochard by email Brianne.pochard@furman.edu or by phone (864)294-3468. Completion time of the RCR course is estimated to be 60 minutes.