All graduate students are expected to adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards as they pursue research and scholarly activities. Known as Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), NIU requires compliance with regulatory agencies, funding sources, and professional organizations. For graduate students who work on grants funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) or the National Institute of Health (NIH), training is mandatory. Faculty and staff also discuss RCR topics with graduate students in courses, while in laboratory settings and through one-on-one interactions.
Forum Series and Transcript Notation
Graduate students have the opportunity to earn an RCR transcription notation offered through the RCR Forum Series. The requirements include:
Attend the seven core topic sessions of the RCR Forum Series and respond in writing to all session questions posted to the Community Portal.
Core topics include:
Authorship and publication
Collaborative research
Conflicts of interest
Data management
Mentoring
Peer review
Research misconduct
Additional RCR topics are available to graduate students:
Animal welfare
Human subject
Safe laboratory practices
Note: these topics do not count toward the transcript notation.
Complete all requirements within two years of the first session but prior to completion of your degree program. This does not waive the one-year requirement for graduate students working on NSF or NIH-training grants.