The Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety

The Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety (ORCIS) at NIU was established to help researchers and the University as a whole, to achieve and maintain ethical principles and maintain compliance with federal, state and university regulations governing research. The office acts as a liaison between the Vice President for Research (the Institutional Official designated with oversight of compliance) and the various committees required to monitor research activities.

Specifically, ORCIS assists the NIU research community in maintaining high ethical standards and adhering to regulatory requirements by:

• Identifying research-related compliance risks and alerting our research community about those risks.
• Working with our research community to manage and minimize research risks.
• Providing education about regulatory requirements and best practices used to comply with them.
• Providing education and training that promotes an ethical research environment and the Responsible Conduct of Research.
• Handling instances of non-compliance or misconduct in accordance with University policy and federal guidelines.

In pursuit of these objectives and fulfillment of our mission, ORCIS shares the core values of the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships:

• Excellence
• Ethical and accountable conduct
• Academic integrity and regulatory compliance
• A diverse and inclusive community of people, ideas and research initiatives

Year-end Reports

• FY23 year-end report (PDF)
• FY22 year-end report (DOX)
• FY21 year-end report (DOX)
• FY20 year-end report (DOX)

Responsible Conduct of Research

Research at Northern Illinois University has traditionally and routinely been performed at a high level of quality and scholarly integrity. In order to continue this tradition, it is necessary faculty, staff and students to participate in continuous Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training and compliance with NIU's RCR Policy.

RCR is composed of the following topics:

• Research Misconduct
• Data Acquisition and Management
• Responsible Authorship and Publication
• Peer Review
• Mentoring
• Conflicts of Interest
• Collaborative Research
• Animal Care and Use
• Laboratory Safety
• Human Subjects Research

The research community has recognized personal and professional rewards from training in the Responsible Conduct of Research. All National Science Foundation,  National Institute of Health Training and United States Department of Agriculture grants require RCR training. Even researchers who do not have the requirements will benefit from the training, which strengthens and broadens the ethical awareness surrounding research. While online training is always available, NIU also offers in-person training from the RCR Forum Series to better serve the community and meet the increased demand for training.

Principal investigators receiving a new NSF award on or after July 1, 2023, will need to ensure that all undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and other senior personnel supported by the proposed research project receive RCR training. Principal investigators and key personnel have three months from the start date of their award to complete the training. Personnel in all other positions must complete the training within a year.

Authorship

Responsible authorship is necessary to academic integrity. NIU faculty, staff, and students are asked to follow the guidelines in our Authorship Policy when writing articles or publications.

Authorship disputes can arise. See Guidelines for Avoiding and Resolving Authorship Disputes.

Conflict of Interest

Public trust is essential to the scientific endeavor. Toward this end and in line with changes to NIH regulations related to financial conflict of interest, the NIU Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety (ORCIS) has revised its Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research for Public Health Services (PHS). The purpose of the policy is to better ensure that financial conflicts of interest do not affect the conduct of research performed at NIU.

The policy has specific provisions that pertain to research funded by the Public Health Service (PHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). However, all investigators are encouraged to review the regulations and the new NIU Research Conflict of Interest Policy. It is mandatory for Investigators to complete the training and the Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.

If you think these regulations currently apply to you and have not been contacted, or if you have any further questions, please contact Shannon Stoker, acting director and research integrity coordinator at sstoker@niu.edu or 847-431-4769.