100-level RCR training for Duke faculty and staff engaged in research

Duke University has implemented our own Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirement for all faculty and staff researchers, overseen by the Advancing Scientific Integrity, Services, and Training (ASIST) team in the Duke Office of Scientific Integrity (DOSI). Faculty and staff members must complete an RCR-100 course within 90 days of joining the Duke research community. Researchers can check their RCR training status at any time through the "myPortfolio" or "myTraining" widgets in myRESEARCHhome. This requirement covers all faculty and staff researchers, not simply those engaged in human or animal research.

Researchers can choose from several available RCR-100 courses. Only one of the options listed below needs to be completed to fulfill the 100-level RCR training requirement. Individuals are encouraged to complete the option which seems most relevant to them and their research. These courses are self-directed, available asynchronously, and can be completed over multiple sessions at the researcher’s convenience. RCR-100 courses are designed to ensure that all faculty and staff engaged in research at Duke have a sound foundational understanding of the principle components of research integrity. Covered topics may include research reproducibility, research misconduct, data management, conflicts of interest, and unconscious bias, among others.

Please read below for more information on the available RCR-100 course options.

For more information on the change to the RCR-100 training requirement that went into effect on 6/10/2026, please see the myRESEARCHpath page.

Announcing a new 100-level RCR course for our Humanities and Social Science researchers!

Collaboration Basics for Projects and Grants in the Humanities and Social Sciences introduces fundamental ethical and logistical concepts related to collaborations tailored for researchers in the humanities and social sciences. All Duke researchers are welcome to take this course if it aligns with their research. Special thanks to Sylvia Miller for the time and expertise which she generously contributed to the development of this course.

Learning Management System (LMS) Courses

The LMS is used to deliver online training, manage classroom training and the associated learning transcripts for Duke Employees and its affiliates. Expand the accordions below to view details on each course option.
NSF RECR Training

The NSF RECR Training course was designed to meet the specific requirements for the National Science Foundation Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (NSF RECR) training. The DOSI-ASIST office will contact you directly if you are subject to this federal training requirement. This course also fulfills the 100-level Duke Faculty and Staff RCR training requirement, which is a separate university-level requirement.

Required modules include 1) Research Quality and Reproducibility, 2) Mentoring for Research Quality, 3) Data Management, and 4) NSF RECR Research Security Training. Each required module has an accompanying assessments. You will have unlimited attempts to take each post-module assessment.

Estimated time to complete all modules: 1-2 hours

Collaboration Basics for Projects and Grants in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Collaboration Basics for Projects and Grants in the Humanities and Social Sciences introduces fundamental ethical and logistical concepts related to collaborations tailored for researchers in the humanities and social sciences. All Duke researchers are welcome to take this course if it aligns with their research. Special thanks to Sylvia Miller for the time and expertise which she generously contributed to the development of this course.

Required modules include 1) Introduction, 2) Principles and Ethics of Collaboration, 3) Seeking Funding, 4) Grant Proposal Process, and 5) Collaborative Modules and Structures. This course has one assessment that is taken after completion of all modules. You will have unlimited attempts to take the assessment.

Estimated time to complete all modules: 1-1.5 hours

Data Management and Quality

The RCR Data Management and Quality course was written to be inclusive of the biomedical sciences, social sciences, and physical sciences.  The content is presented with interactive graphics, text-based activities, short videos, and discipline specific scenarios.  It was developed by Epigeum, Oxford University Press in collaboration with academic institutions.

Required modules include 1) Research Quality and Reproducibility, 2) Data Management, and 3) Data and Resource Sharing. Each required module has an accompanying assessment. You will have unlimited attempts to take each assessment.

Estimated time to complete all modules: 1.5-3 hours

Research Communications and Data Dissemination

The RCR Research Communication and Data Dissemination course was written to be inclusive of the biomedical sciences, social sciences, and physical sciences.  The content is presented with interactive graphics, text-based activities, short videos, and discipline specific scenarios.  It was developed by Epigeum, Oxford University Press in collaboration with academic institutions. 

Required modules include 1) Authoring and Publication, 2) Data and Resource Sharing, and 3) Wider Communication of Research. Each required module has an accompanying assessment. You will have unlimited attempts to take each assessment.

Estimated time to complete all modules: 1.5-3 hours

RCR for Clinical Researchers

The RCR for Clinical Researchers course was designed to cover ethical issues that can be encountered in clinical research.

Required modules include 1) Force: Research ethics, and 2) Fundamentals of Clinical Data Management and Collection. Each required module has an accompanying assessment. You will have unlimited attempts to take each assessment.

Estimated time to complete all modules: 1-1.5 hours

SCRI Training

Stewardship and Compliance for Research Investigators (SCRI) training is required for any researcher who is a PI, co-PI, PI fellow, or sponsor “key” personnel on research, fellowship or clinical trial awards, as documented in Duke’s Sponsored Program System (SPS). Any researchers with one of these designations will need to take the SCRI training REGARDLESS of whether they are due for 100-level training. Researchers who are not required to take SCRI training are still able to opt in to the training to fulfill their 100-level RCR training.

All five modules must be completed in order to complete the SCRI training.

Estimated time to complete all modules: 1-2 hours

Advanced RCR Training

Duke University has purchased a university wide license for the interactive online course Research Quality and Reproducibility through Epigeum, Oxford University Press. This course has 13 interactive modules, which take about an hour each to complete. Each required module has an accompanying assessment. You will have unlimited attempts to take each assessment.

All 13 of these modules must be completed in order for the 100-level RCR credit to be conferred through this LMS course. If you are interested in completing just a subset of these modules, please complete one of the RCR - Data Management and Quality, RCR - Research Communications and Data Dissemination, or NSF RECR Training courses, which are each described above. 

Course Modules:

1) Research quality and reproducibility
2) Understanding your research area
3) Developing your research hypothesis
4) Designing your research study
5) Engaging internal and external stakeholders
6) Intellectual property considerations
7) Execution, management and documentation of experiments
8) Data management
9) Data analysis and interpretation
10) Authoring and publication
11) Data and resource sharing
12) Wider communication of research
13) Mentoring for research quality and reproducibility

Collaborative Institution Training Initiative (CITI) RCR Courses

Duke has multiple organizational affiliations with CITI, so be sure to login through "Duke RCR" to access Duke's online RCR options. Courses offered through other Duke affiliations with CITI are not eligible for RCR credit (e.g., "Duke Health", "Duke University Campus IRB").
Description

The Collaborative Institution Training Initiative (CITI) is an outside platform for accessing many institutional trainings. Duke has multiple organizational affiliations with CITI, so be sure to login through "Duke RCR" to access Duke's online RCR options. Courses offered through other Duke affiliations with CITI are not eligible for RCR credit (e.g., "Duke Health", "Duke University Campus IRB").

Four courses are available through CITI to complete the 100-level training requirement. Only one course needs to be completed to receive 100-level RCR training credit, though all necessary modules for that course must be completed. In order to receive credit, you must achieve 80% or higher on each of the required module quizzes. You will have the opportunity to re-take the quizzes and review the material as many times as necessary to achieve 80% or higher.

Please note that the courses with "Basic" in the title refer to basic science research, not that these courses are more introductory than the other options.

Estimated time to complete: 1.5-3 hours

Course Options

Duke has multiple organizational affiliations with CITI, so be sure to login through "Duke RCR" to access Duke's online RCR options. These options are:

  • Responsible Conduct of Research - Faculty - BASIC
  • Responsible Conduct of Research - Staff - BASIC
  • Humanities and Social Sciences RCR - Faculty
  • Humanities and Social Sciences RCR – Staff

Courses offered through other Duke affiliations with CITI are not eligible for RCR credit (e.g., "Duke Health", "Duke University Campus IRB"). Please note that the courses with "Basic" in the title refer to basic science research, not that these courses are more introductory than the other options.

Duke University is not the primary author of the CITI modules and is not able to update the content on the CITI website. DOSI has received feedback that the core/required modules engage overwhelmingly with scientific contexts and presumes that readers are scientists.

However, the identification of ethical problems with research practices, as well as the fashioning of institutional responses, has historically depended on insights from humanistic and social justice disciplines. We encourage you to reach out to us at asist@duke.edu, if you would like to participate in RCR module development in the humanities and social sciences as we further develop the program.

Login Instructions

Download this guide for detailed login instructions for accessing Duke RCR CITI courses. These steps are summarized below. If you do not have a Duke CITI account follow all steps below. If you do have a Duke CITI account, after step #1, jump to step #5.

  1. Go to the CITI Program webpage and click REGISTER (click LOGIN if you do have a Duke CITI account).
  2. Type “Duke RCR” in the text box below. Courses offered through other Duke affiliations with CITI are not eligible for RCR credit (e.g., "Duke Health", "Duke University Campus IRB").
  3. Check the box underneath the text box “I AGREE to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for accessing CITI Program materials” after review.
  4. Check the second box that popped up when you checked the previous one: “I affirm that I am an affiliate of Duke RCR.”
  5. Click the “Continue to SSO Login/Instructions” blue button. You will be directed to the Duke Shibboleth login page, where you will be asked for your NetID and password.
  6. Click “View Courses” next to “Duke RCR”
  7. Click “Add a Course”
  8. Answer Question 1 to select the right course
  9. Complete the entire course and quizzes
  10. Have you reached a score 80% or higher on all quizzes? If so, Congratulations. Your credit will be processed in up to 15 days.