RECR Workshop Series

MSU is committed to helping graduate and graduate-professional students conduct research, creative activity, and scholarship with the highest ethical standards. To this end, The Graduate School requires all graduate and graduate-professional students to complete Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) education.

The current education program (est. 2017) is comprised of:

A basic component (years one and two) consisting of online training modules and a series of instructor-led, discussion-based workshops.
An annual refresher component (years three and beyond, Ph.D. students only).

The Graduate School offers a series of workshops each academic year that can be used to fulfill the basic education requirements. These workshops cover topics pertinent to research integrity. They allow for interactive discussion, case studies to be reviewed, and questions to be answered on key topics such as mentoring, authorship, plagiarism, research misconduct and detrimental research practices, data management, etc.

These workshops build upon the foundational aspects introduced in the online CITI modules. Moreover, these sessions serve to develop a culture of responsible conduct and ethical awareness, as well as fulfilling the in-person discussion hours and content required by federal funding agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF and USDA-NIFA).

This workshop series is intended to support the efforts of departments and graduate programs in fostering responsible research and proper scholarly practices.

All instructor-led workshops will be conducted virtually at the designated time. Each topic is paralleled by a CITI lesson such that a student could pair an online module with a discussion session.

The expectation is that student’s research/scholarship will be of higher quality, and that the student will be better able to avoid and respond to situations involving irresponsible and inappropriate research and scholarly practices and behaviors.

Research and creative works are supported by the public and/or private funding. These sponsors, and society in general, trust that new information generated is accurate, true, and carefully considered. Inaccurate (flawed, incorrect) results can occur from mistakes or chance. In some instances, individual researchers violate the principles of research integrity by intentionally misrepresenting their findings (research misconduct or detrimental research practices).

Workshop Series Coordinators

Dr. Greg Swain, RECR Education Coordinator, Tel. 517-353-1090, swain@chemistry.msu.edu.

MSU graduate and graduate professional students are required to complete least 6 hours of discussion-based, face-to-face education. This workshop series serves to help fulfil this face-to-face requirement.

WHICH workshop(s) a trainee attends is up to the student and or their department. Please consult with your department about which of the workshops offered best suit your educational needs.

It is your (the trainee) responsibility and duty to read and understand MSU's policies and procedures on academic and research integrity and misconduct.

Registration by students and postdoctoral researchers themselves is required. Students and postdocs may register through forms located on each session's event page.

Before you Register:

Find out from your Department, School, or Program which specific workshops are required for you.
Make sure you have a NetID and your password.

Registering:

The deadline for registering for a session is one week before the session. You will know if you have successfully registered for a workshop because you will receive an e-mail from orrs.train@msu.edu.
Zoom link information will be provided to registrants.

Persons with disabilities or special needs should contact the Graduate School at (517) 353-3220 or gradwrsp@msu.edu to request arrangements no later than one week prior to the session date. Requests received after this date will be met when possible.

At the end of the workshop series, attendees will be expected to understand and be able to explain:

MSU's rules concerning academic integrity, including possible disciplinary actions regarding allegations of academic or research misconduct.
MSU's requirements for training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.
Where to find their department's or program's plan for training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research.
How to properly credit other's works in order to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
How to reason logically and critically evaluate ethical dilemmas and professional situations to guide responsible and ethical actions in the conduct of research/scholarship.
How their research/scholarship affects others, both professionally and personally.
How to responsibly collaborate with others in research/scholarly teams.

The ABILITY system that is supported by the Office of Research Regulatory Support (ORRS) will keep track of the workshops you attended as well as the CITI lessons you complete.

From your Home page, click the My Training (CITI) or MY TRANSCRIPT (workshops) tab to view your record. The default list is just the last three months.

All workshop slides and other materials can be found in Ability as “Class Documents” under each workshop/course.

The Center for Statistical Training and Consultation (CSTAT) at MSU offers seminars and workshops regularly (at least once each semester) that can fulfill Annual Refresher RECR Education requirements.

Participation in the VERITIES Initiative workshops. VERITIES is an NSF-supported institutional transformation initiative here at MSU that aims to foster a culture of excellence and integrity in university and professional settings by infusing traditional Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) education with an appreciation and understanding of the scientific virtues.

About the Series

Workshop Series Coordinators

Upcoming Workshops