Nicholas H. Steneck University of Michigan
The need to provide researchers with formal training on professional responsibility became widely accepted in the US following the publication of the 1989 Institute of Medicine Report, The Responsible Conduct of Research in the Health Sciences. During the 1990s, courses, textbooks, other teaching resources, and training programs proliferated, making it possible for most research institutions in the US to offer some formal responsible conduct of research (RCR) education. Similar developments have been slow in coming outside the US. Countries that have in one way or another addressed the issue of research integrity frequently mention the importance of RCR education, but to date no countries have followed the US lead and adopted formal requirements. Consequently, formal RCR education is not available to most research students or new researchers outside the US. The immediate goal of the International RCR Education Workshop is to bring together an international group of RCR educators and others interested parties to address the need for improved consistency and availability of RCR education for students and researchers on a global basis. During the Workshop participants will endeavor to come to some agreement on international guidelines for RCR education as well as develop plans to communicate and share materials after the workshop. Planning for the Workshop will take into account efforts underway at the National Science Foundation to enhance RCR education in response to the American Competes Act.
More consistent, well-thought-out RCR education will make it easier for researchers to work with colleagues in and students from other countries. It will also facilitate international study by making sure that students and mentors share common understandings of professional responsibility. To the extent that education can influence behavior, global guidelines for RCR education should promote higher standards for integrity in research by reducing the small-but-common lapses of integrity that result from poor or inadequate training in professional responsibility. The benefits of higher standards for integrity in research are significant and far-reaching, ranging from better protection for human subjects to less waste and careless practice, enhanced objectivity, more accurate publications, properly managed conflicts of interest and a sincere interest on the part of researchers in working for the greater public good.
