Old Dominion University is required to maintain and implement a Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) program in accordance with federal sponsor requirements, including those of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). This requirement ensures that investigators, research personnel, and students engaged in sponsored research receive appropriate training, oversight, and guidance in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.
In addition, ODU maintains a Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirement for graduate students as part of the University’s academic and professional development standards. While related, RECR requirements for sponsored research and RCR training requirements for graduate students serve distinct purposes and are governed by different policies and timelines.
The links below provide detailed information on each requirement.
Additional Information
- Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) – Institutional and Sponsored Research Requirements
Overview of ODU’s RECR training plan, sponsor-specific requirements, proposal-stage expectations, certification, documentation, and investigator responsibilities.
→ RECR Training Plan and Compliance Requirements
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) – Graduate Student Training Requirement
Graduate Catalog–based RCR training requirement for graduate students, including CITI coursework, completion timelines, and graduation implications.
→ Graduate Student RCR Training Requirement
Old Dominion University has a policy of training all graduate students in the fundamentals of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). This policy was adopted with the understanding that the knowledge and philosophy presented in the RCR training can enhance the professional development of all students, regardless of discipline. The following requirement is presented in the Graduate Catalog:
"All graduate students who were admitted or readmitted to a degree or graduate licensure program as of fall 2010 must complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) basic course. The basic course includes the following modules: Misconduct (falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism); Data acquisition, management, sharing and ownership; Mentor/trainee relationships; Publication practice and responsible authorship; Peer review; Conflicts of interest; and Collaborative research. Completion of the RCR modules will be tracked through the CITI website and is a graduation requirement. The RCR modules must be completed prior to completion of 12 semester hours. Students who fail to complete this requirement will have a registration hold placed on their records. As appropriate to their general field of study, students may complete the Biomedical Social and Behavior Research, Physical Science, or Humanities RCR track offered by CITI to fulfill this requirement."
As noted in this policy, graduate students must complete the CITI training prior to completion of 12 semester hours at ODU. These instructions will guide students through the beginning of this process.