Skip to header Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Responsible Conduct of Research

Research Integrity

Each member of the university community has a responsibility to create and foster an environment promoting intellectual honesty and the highest standards of academic integrity.

This includes attributing appropriate credit for work that is not your own, communicating responsibilities clearly to collaborators, practicing accurate and unbiased data collection and being a good role model to other members of the research team.

Research Misconduct

UNCW is committed to fostering a culture of ethics, integrity, and accountability in scholarship and research. 

Under UNCW policy, research misconduct is limited to fabrication, falsification and plagiarism and applies to misconduct occurring during proposing, performing, reviewing or reporting of research.

All members of the UNCW community share responsibility for maintaining research integrity. Suspected or known research misconduct must be reported. Reporting concerns in good faith is a professional responsibility and is essential to protecting the integrity of UNCW's research enterprise.

For more information, see UNCW's Research Misconduct Policy (03.300) and Research Misconduct SOP 2.1.

To report suspected Research Misconduct, email the Research Integrity Director.

Required Training

NSF Investigator Training

For NSF proposals submitted after July 31, 2023, investigators supported by NSF funds, including Principal Investigators (PIs) and senior personnel, must complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training.

UNCW meets this requirement through the online Responsible Conduct of Research course offered through the CITI Program. 

Researchers should select the RCR course that best matches their academic discipline:

  • Biomedical
  • Social/Behavioral
  • Physical Science
  • Humanities 


How to Complete the Training: Access the CITI Program and follow the instructions below to enroll in and complete the appropriate RCR course.

RCR Training for Students and Postdoctoral Researchers

Undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who are paid to work on research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the National Science Foundation (NSF) are required to complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training.

Principal Investigator Responsibilities
The Research Integrity Office (RIO) will contact PIs who receive NSF or NIH funding with information about RCR training requirements and upcoming workshops. PIs must (1) provide RIO with the names of all students and postdoctoral researchers who are or will be paid from NSF or NIH funds, or (2) confirm that no individuals are currently subject to the requirement.

Ensure that all applicable individuals complete the required RCR training.

RIO will assist PIs by notifying participants of training requirements and providing reminders when possible.

RCR Workshop Requirements
UNCW's RCR training program includes a series of three workshops covering key topics in the responsible conduct of research. Workshops are led by appropriate campus offices and subject matter experts, including UNCW Library and Environmental Health and Safety.

UNCW expanded these requirements in Fall 2022 in response to updated NIH requirements for RCR instruction and additional training topics.

 Students must complete the three components listed below:

1.  CITI Online Training: Students must complete the Responsible Conduct of Research offered through the CITI Program (see below for more information on this requirement).  Please note that the CITI Program Human Subject Protection courses do not meet this requirement. 

2.  Three-Part RCR Workshops Series: Students must complete three RCR workshops that provide in-depth instruction on responsible conduct of research topics. The workshops also introduce students to UNCW offices, subject matter experts, and campus resources that support responsible research.

** Students who have completed BIO 501 are exempt from the three-part RCR workshop requirement. **

3. Ongoing Mentoring and Guidance: PIs must provide students with ongoing guidance and mentorship on responsible research practices as part of their laboratory, classroom, and other research activities.

RIO maintains records of online and formal student training and issues training certification to students when trainings are completed.

RCR Online Training Instructions

UNCW students, faculty, staff, and other affiliated personnel may register for the online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). 

  • Log in to CITI
  • You MUST use your UNCW email as your primary email. 
  • Returning users click View Courses, then scroll to the bottom of your course to find Add a Course. You will then see the Select Curriculum Screen.
  • New users will be directed to the Select Curriculum screen after setting up their account.
  • Scroll to Question 8 for the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and select one of the four possible course options listed that best aligns with your discipline/profession.
  • OPTIONAL: You may select one or both of the Respectful and Safe Research Environments courses listed at Question 9.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Complete Registration (new users) or Submit (returning users).
  • Return to your course list and confirm that the appropriate RCR course has been added.

If you are unsure of which course to register for, please email us to receive more detailed instructions. 

IMPORTANT - the online training must be completed before the first of the three workshops.

RCR Office Hours via Zoom, Thursdays 10-11 am.

RCR Contact Information

Email the RCR Team

Tell the RCR team in the Research Integrity Office how we're doing on this quick, 4-question survey!

Additionally, please be aware that the Office of Internal Audit at UNCW maintains an anonymous reporting tool to facilitate reporting of allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of funds.

Concerns about ethical practices may also be reported anonymously to the state auditor’s Fraud and Abuse Hotline by calling 1.800.730.8477 or filing a complaint online.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FRAUD

Resources