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RECR Programming
Introduction
[Note if you are looking for information about the Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) program, please see our news announcement about the rebranding.]
The Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) program is designed to create an awareness of ethical principles and established professional norms in the performance of all activities related to scholarship and research. Ultimately, our goal is to further foster trust among scholars and researchers and to increase the public’s support for research.
The RECR educational program also meets federal agency requirements around the responsible conduct of research training, including:
Who is Required to Participate?
Penn State requires RECR for all graduate students, postdocs, and new faculty to ensure the ethical conduct of research and scholarship at the University. In addition, undergraduate students participating in research must also participate in RECR training.
RECR Educational Offerings and Requirements
There are two main components to fulfill RECR requirements at Penn State 1) CITI training and 2) completion of 5 workshop or educational programming hours on RECR topics.
- CITI Online Training
- Completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) module within the CITI program is required for all graduate students, unless otherwise specified by your specific Graduate RECR Program Plan.
- RECR Workshops and Educational Programming Hours
- An additional 5 RECR hours are required beyond the CITI training. RECR hours should be earned within the first 2 years of graduate school.
Ways to Earn RECR Hours:
- Graduate Program Offerings: Graduate students should first check with their graduate program about specific RECR educational requirements. RECR education may be built into an academic class, colloquium, or other offering hosted by the graduate program.
- RECR Orientation: At the beginning of each semester, the Office for Research Protections hosts orientation sessions designed for graduate students to learn about basic RECR topics. Attending an orientation session earns 30 minutes of RECR credit.
- Introduction to IRB Workshops: The Education program typically sees a high volume of requests for IRB training near mid-semester as students plan their projects. To ensure IRB training is available for classes and programs requiring this information, we will also offer mid-semester workshops on IRB submission. Attending one of these sessions earns 45 minutes of RECR credit. Note: Faculty and programs can opt to use the RECR Orientation and Intro to IRB Workshops in lieu of having an ORP Educator attend an individual class session.
- RECR Workshops: Each semester, the Office of Research Protections hosts a series of RECR workshops. Each workshop focuses on a specific RECR topic and earns one hour of RECR credit
- RCR Modules in Canvas: The ORP has a suite or modules around RECR topics such as Authorship and Mentorship. Graduate Programs can request these modules (email orp@psu.edu) to add to an existing or stand alone course.
RECR Hours
| Career Stage | CITI Training (online) | Discussion-based Education** | Continuing Education (CE) | Tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graduate Students (recommend completing in first two years) | RCR required | Plus minimum 5 hours discussion-based education | May apply to funded research | Graduate program administrator records in LionPath |
| Postdoctoral Researchers | At least 1 course (RCR course | n/a | ORP notifies about requirement and tracks completion | |
| All New Full-time Faculty (within 12-months from hire date) | RCR course | - OR - 2-hours (discussion-based education may be taken instead of CITI online training) | Every 3-years. Faculty must report 1 hour of RECR CE every 3-years. CITI RCR refresher counts or workshops focusing on RCR or ethics-related | ORP notifies about requirement and tracks completion. Self report: orp@psu.edu |
| Undergraduate Students (see below) | RCR course | Automatically recorded in CITI |
Undergraduate Students: Required if performing research sponsored by NSF, NIFA or NIH training grant or if research may be included or lead to a publication or other report. Principal Investigators are responsible for ensuring students are appropriately trained.
Funding agencies including NIH, NSF, and NIFA have requirements for RCR training for students, postdoctoral researchers, and other trainees. RECR helps to fulfill these requirements.
Incomplete RECR Requirements
Each person is responsible for completing their RECR requirements.
All graduate students are expected to complete their SARI requirement set forth by their individual programs prior to graduation.
Postdocs and new faculty who fail to meet RECR will result in notification to the supervisor, department and/or dean.
RECR Credit in LionPath
Graduate Students: Attendance at an ORP-sponsored RECR event will be recorded as a “comment” in the In-Person level in LionPath. RECR milestones are added automatically to newly enrolled students twice a semester.
Faculty, Postdocs, or Undergraduates: If you are uncertain whether you’ve completed the RECR requirements, please email orp@psu.edu.
CITI Training: Check in LionPath.
Still have RECR questions?
Office for Research Protections
Address
200 Innovation Blvd.
Suite 110
University Park, PA 16802
The Office for Research Protections (ORP) ensures that research at the University is conducted in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines that protect human participants, animals, students, and personnel involved with research.