Responsible Conduct of Research (Ph.D. requirement)
Duke University Graduate School strives to promote responsible research and academic integrity by:
- engaging in strategic planning on RCR education
- providing training on RCR topics
- developing RCR educational resources
- evaluating RCR educational programs, and
- presenting key findings to the scholarly community.
RCR training is a formal requirement of the Ph.D. degree in every department and program of study at Duke. This reflects our expectation that every doctoral candidate will be well qualified to address the growing ethical challenges that arise when teaching or conducting research. We collaborate with faculty and staff across Duke University and Duke University Medical Center, with experts from nearby institutions in the Research Triangle, and with national and federal organizations including the Council of Graduate Schools and the U.S. Office of Research Integrity.
Since the 1990s, Duke Graduate School has been at the forefront of the development of RCR training, and we have expanded RCR training to every Ph.D. student to ensure that all graduate students who receive funding by federal agencies (NIH, NSF, etc.) are in compliance with federal guidelines and mandates for such training. The Graduate School's RCR program has developed from a modest orientation for certain biological science fields to our current structure of face-to-face training offered via three RCR Orientations (by academic discipline groups), two-hour RCR Forum workshops, and department-specific training. A summary of our RCR program, designed for Duke faculty to incorporate into NIH or NSF research grant proposals, can be found here:
NIH Grants - RCR Summary (pdf)
Contact Information:
Douglas L. James, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs
Duke University Graduate School
Office of the Dean
127 Allen Building, Box 90068
Durham, NC 27708
Phone: (919) 681-3251
Fax: (919) 684-2277
Email: douglas.james@duke.edu