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 (TGS) 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 (i) a basic component (Years One and Two) consisting of on-line training modules and a series of in-person, discussion-based workshops and (ii) an annual refresher component (Years Three and beyond, Ph.D. students only). TGS 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 on-line 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).
Workshop Series Coordinators
Dr. Greg Swain, 517-353-1090, swain@chemistry.msu.edu
Topics for 2023-2024 RECR Workshops
Discussions will be based around a main presentation given by Dr. Greg Swain, or by other individuals from key units across campus. The purpose for these workshops is to help students better understand about the importance of responsible conduct, learn about proper research and creative activity practices, and connect to important regulatory and information offices across the MSU campus. Each topic, as listed below, is paralleled by a CITI lesson such that a student could pair an online module with a discussion session.
All workshops will be conducted virtually at the designated time, 6:00-7:30 pm. Zoom link information will be provided to registrants.
All workshop slides and other materials can be found in Ability as “Class Documents” under each workshop/course.
Ethics in Research and Creative Activity, and Effective Mentoring (RCR-1200-ILTVC), September 12, 2023
Case Studies in Mentoring (1 h), September 26, 2023
Authorship, Plagiarism and Peer Review (RCR-4195-ILTVC), October 10, 2023
Case Studies in Authorship and Plagiarism (1 h), October 24, 2023
Detrimental Research Practices, Teamwork and Conflict Resolution (RCR-3647-ILTVC), November 14, 2023
Record Keeping, Data Management, and Sharing Information (RCR-3628-ILTVC), December 12, 2023
Research Misconduct and Reporting (RCR-3390-ILTVC), January 9, 2024
Research Collaborations and Student Conflicts of Interest, January 30, 2024
Animal Subjects and Animal Use Protocols (RCR-3392-ILTVC), February 13, 2024
Human Subjects and Human Use Protocols (RCR-3391-ILTVC), March 12, 2024
Rigor and Reproducibility in Research (RCR-3393-ILTVC), April 2, 2024
Non-Disclosure Agreements, Intellectual Property and Export Controls (RCR-3648-ILTVC), April 23, 2024
Possible Options for Annual Refresher RECR Education
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. Details on the workshops and other events can be found at https://cstat.msu.edu/events. Example workshops include:
- Ten Simple Rules for Reproducibility
- Initial Data Analysis
- Writing High Impact Papers
- CSTAT Data Management Workshop
Participation in the upcoming virtual conference titled, “Navigating International Collaborations” to be held on Nov. 1 and 2, 2023. The conference is sponsored by the Big Ten Academic Alliance – Responsible Conduct of Research Collaborative. Website with conference information and registration details will be launched soon.
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. Details can be found at https://veritiesinitiative.msu.edu/.
Participation in the upcoming virtual conference titled, “Navigating International Collaborations and Research Integrity” to be held on Nov. 1 and 2, 2023. The conference is sponsored by the Big Ten Academic Alliance – Responsible Conduct of Research Collaborative. Website with conference information and registration details can be found at: About – Navigating International Collaborations and Research Integrity || Virtual Conference November 1-2, 2023 (illinois.edu)
RCR
RCR