Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research

Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research

“Principal investigators and other scientists (including technicians, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdocs) are the foundation of the research enterprise. The research record begins with their work, and researchers are the primary evaluators and verifiers of work done by others in their respective fields.“1

Mines requires all students and  employees involved in research to be trained in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.

Several courses are available to satisfy this requirement. Visit the graduate student catalog and scroll down the page to see a list of applicable courses. Research-active faculty, staff, and students who have not taken one of these courses can access this important training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program (see CITI access instructions below). Modules in the online course include topics such as authorship, collaborative research, conflicts of interest, and research misconduct. If you have questions, please contact us at researchintegrity@mines.edu.

Authorship standards vary between academic disciplines, which can lead to disputes over appropriate practice in collaborative work. Mines’ guidelines regarding authorship can be found here.

The following is a publication of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Press1 regarding the responsible conduct of research.

Mines endorses six core values of research identified in Fostering Integrity in Research:

  • Objectivity
  • Honesty
  • Openness
  • Accountability
  • Fairness
  • Stewardship

Instructions for completing the CITI on-line course pertaining to Responsible Conduct of Research:

The Responsible Conduct of Research course comprises nine modules. You may access, save, and continue on multiple occasions; you do not need to complete all of the modules at one time. After completing the course, print the certification of completion page and save for your files.

 

Registration and Course Instructions

For instructions with step-by step screenshots, please refer to these CITI Training Instructions.

  1. CLICK HERE to create an account or log in via Single Sign On at CITI (scroll down and select Colorado School of Mines). All users, no matter their prior status, are required to log in via SSO (Single Sign On). Users with existing CITI program accounts will initially need to match their account with Mines SSO. Registered, SSO-matched account holders that are in-progress in a course can skip to step 4 below.
  2. At the Select Curriculum screen, in the area labeled Question 5: Responsible Conduct of Research, choose your applicable learner group (Undergraduate Students or Graduate Students; Administration), then click the Submit button.
  3. At the next screen, below the message “Your request has been successfully submitted,” expand the blue Colorado School of Mines Courses tab, and click on the link titled RCR Stage 1 Course.
  4. At the next screen, you will be prompted to complete an Integrity Assurance Statement before beginning, or, if in-progress, you may review your course completion status and resume coursework.
  5. At the same screen, in the Required Modules area, click on an active link to begin or complete work on a module.

Support

For questions regarding course expiration dates, merging two learner accounts, or for other technical support, resources, and tips, please visit the CITI program support pages.
 

Note

1National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Fostering Integrity in Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/21896.

Contact Us

Guggenheim Hall, Ste. 314
1500 Illinois St.
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 273-3327
researchintegrity@mines.edu