Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)

Purdue is committed to research integrity and the responsible conduct of research. To ensure that all researchers are trained to conduct their research in an informed and responsible manner, Purdue has implemented a Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Standard (S20), effective July 1st, 2020. In parallel, the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars (OGSPS) maintains a requirement for all graduate faculty and graduate students. RCR topics include authorship, mentoring, peer-review, conflicts of interest, plagiarism, data management, and reproducibility of research results. The standard applies to all faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students of the University who design and conduct research and/or report and publish research outcomes. The standard has two components:

1. general online RCR training offered through the CITI Program

2. research field-specific RCR training that includes a discipline-based discussion

The two components are complementary, with the online training providing basic information on core topics to consider in efforts to conduct research in a responsible manner, and the field-specific training providing an opportunity to discuss these issues with colleagues. The deadline for training completion varies by training and researcher types, as detailed in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section below.