Skip to main content

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Course fulfilling NIH RCR requirements

For more information:

Email Us
Home > Educational Offerings > Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Course Goals

  • Articulate the concepts of research misconduct, research integrity, and their pivotal roles in fostering a trustworthy research enterprise.
  • Identify and apply the fundamental ethical principles, federal regulations, and institutional policies that govern human, animal, and bench research, as well as export control.
  • Recognize and critically analyze research practices, including those in the lab, in collaborations, and in publication, that deviate from established legal, ethical, and professional standards.
  • Propose and implement robust practices for data management, security, and stewardship to ensure compliance and promote the highest standards of research conduct.
  • Articulate the components of a safe, inclusive, and equitable research environment, identifying strategies to prevent and address discrimination, harassment, and other behaviors that undermine the research mission.

This course fulfills the National Institutes of Health (NIH) instruction requirement for all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars supported by any NIH training, career development, research education, or dissertation research grant. Additionally, this course meets the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirement for researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The course is open to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members from Harvard Chan School and other Harvard Catalyst institutions. These individuals may enroll without paying tuition if they are not taking the course for academic credit. All participants, regardless of credit status, are expected to attend a minimum of six lectures, actively participate in class discussions, and complete all case study assignments to receive a Certificate of Completion.

The curriculum consists of the following topics:

  • Research Misconduct
  • Regulations and guidelines governing research involving human subjects
  • Collaborative Research
  • Scientist as a responsible member of society-ethical issues in biomedical and public health research
  • Safe Research Environment, promoting inclusion, free of any forms of discrimination and harassment
  • Financial and Non-Financial Conflicts of Interest
  • Peer review, responsible authorship and publication
  • Data acquisition, security & ownership and sharing research results
  • Regulations and guidelines governing research involving live vertebrate animal
    subjects
  • Mentor/Mentee Relationships
  • Peer Review, responsible authorship and publication
  • Safe Laboratory Practice
  • Export Control and Research Security

Session dates

The Fall 2026 RCR course will run on Fridays from 11:30am-1:00pm, in person on the HSPH campus in Boston, MA from Friday, September 4th through Friday, October 23rd, 2026 (there is no remote option).

Time commitment

  • 90 minutes class time per week for eight weeks (fall) or seven weeks (spring), plus readings and 12 brief case studies.
  • Participants must attend a minimum of six sessions for credit/certification.
  • Those who meet course requirements will receive a certificate of course completion.

Audience

  • This course is offered by Harvard Chan School specifically to meet the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirements mandated by NIH and NSF for eligible researchers. As this is a requirement-driven course, we are unable to issue waivers or substitutions. All participants must complete the course in its entirety to fulfill the mandate.
  • This course is distinct from and cannot be substituted by CITI training modules. While the NSF permits the use of CITI RCR modules to partially satisfy its RCR training requirement, the NIH requires that this specific RCR instruction be completed in person.
  • Requirement Frequency
    • NIH Requirement: RCR instruction must be undertaken at least once during each career stage, and at a frequency of no less than once every four years.
    • NSF Requirement: RCR/RECR (Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research) instruction must be completed at least once every four years.
  • If you have previously completed an RCR course at another institution, you may have already satisfied this requirement. However, it is your responsibility to confirm this with your funding agency and with the department or program that requires you to take this course.
  • Click here for more information from NIH and click here for more information from NSF.

Eligibility

  • MD, PhD, or equivalent.
  • Trainees, fellows, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training, career development award, research education grant, or dissertation research grant.

Register

Graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty members from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health or other Harvard Catalyst institutions may take the course tuition free if no academic credit.  To take the course for RCR certification alone (no academic course credit), register here for the Fall 2026 course.