Responsible Conduct of Research Forum Series

All graduate students are expected to adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards as they pursue research and scholarly activities. The Graduate School in partnership with the Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety offers the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Forum Series, which engages graduate students in learning about academic standards and ethical challenges in planning, conducting, and reporting scholarly research.

The RCR Forum Series is open to all graduate students at NIU. Participation is required for graduate students to comply with requirements from national funding agencies. The series supports students in becoming accomplished as ethical scholars, researchers, and professionals. 

Transcript Notation 

Graduate students have the opportunity to earn a Responsible Conduct of Research transcript notation through the Responsible Conduct of Research Forum Series. The requirements include: 

  • Attend a minimum of seven core topic sessions of the RCR Forum Series and respond in writing to all session discussion questions posted to the Blackboard site. Core topics include:
    • Authorship and publication
    • Collaborative research
    • Conflicts of interest
    • Data management
    • Mentoring
    • Peer review
    • Research misconduct
    • Animal welfare
    • Human subject
    • Safe laboratory practices 
  • 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. 

To view upcoming RCR Forum Series presentations, visit the Workshops and Events page.

To register to attend an RCR Forum Series presentation or begin progress toward the Transcript Notation, please contact Shannon Stoker, Director and Research Integrity Officer, at sstoker@niu.edu.

Contact Us

The Graduate School
Williston Hall 100

815-753-0395
gradsch@niu.edu

Northern Illinois University
1425 West Lincoln Hwy
DeKalb, IL 60115

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Hours: M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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