Responsible Conduct of Research

About

Effective January 4, 2010 the National Science Foundation is requiring that all postdoctoral scholars who are submitting new proposals for NSF funding receive training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).

A CITI web-based course in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is available to USF researchers at no cost. Please see Instructions for Accessing the CITI RCR Course.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Office of Research
Prepared by the USF Research Council
Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines

Guidelines for the Responsible Conduct of Research
Effective: October 1997
Introduction

The purpose of research at the University of South Florida (USF) is to create new knowledge in all disciplines represented within the University and to foster an active learning environment to enable students to acquire the tools for lifelong learning. Society expects that research reflects an honest attempt to describe the world accurately without bias and that the results of research can be trusted. In order that these expectations can be met, it is necessary that all who engage in research within the University community ascribe to a standard set of ethical principles. It is the responsibility of each and every researcher to become informed of these principles and behave in accord with them. Faculty members are to serve as role models concerning the ethical practice of research for students and colleagues.

These guidelines describe a standard of practice for the ethical conduct of all research at the University of South Florida. These guidelines are based on three important principles.

The University is obligated to protect and foster the academic freedom and intellectual integrity of all members of the University community in the pursuit of knowledge.
The University is accountable to extramural funding sources that often support the research and scholarship of the faculty and the university must comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Each researcher has ultimate responsibility for the accuracy and validity of their own work. Each researcher shares this responsibility with colleagues and students with whom they establish collaborative or mentorship relationships.

This document applies to all research engaged in by faculty and students. These guidelines are intended to heighten awareness of potential ethical problems. The purpose is to emphasize that the individual researcher has an obligation to maintain high scholarly and ethical standards, and a commitment to foster those standards in collaborators, students, and trainees.

Research can take many forms and vary across disciplines. The issues addressed by these guidelines are essential to all research within the University community. Research responsibility, quality of scholarly activity, security of scholarly contributions and their sources, responsible authorship, and provision for training in ethics are issues inherent to all areas. The implications of these guidelines apply as fully to the scholar who uncovers an ancient civilization or authors a history textbook as to the laboratory scientist who reports a biological discovery or the clinician who publishes a case report.