All faculty PIs/co-PIs, Research Associates and Postdoctoral Researchers, Research Assistants and Technicians, and Undergraduate Students supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) grants awarded on or after August 1, 2023, must complete Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) education. Graduate students are already compliant through a program administered by The Graduate School. This requirement addresses new federal mandates from the Chips and Science Act 2022.

Starting May 15, 2024, faculty PIs and co-PIs with new NSF awards must complete the education program within 60 days from the award start. Those with awards starting between August 1, 2023, and May 15, 2024, must complete the program within 60 days of automatic enrollment in the MSU Faculty RECR Program on May 15, 2024.

Additionally, all faculty PIs/co-PIs, Research Associates and Postdoctoral Researchers, Research Assistants and Technicians, and Undergraduate Students supported by United States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) grants must complete Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) education. Graduate students are already compliant through a program administered by The Graduate School. This requirement has been in place by the funding agency for several years now. 

All faculty PIs/co-PIs with active awards as of July 22, 2024 must complete the education program within 60 days from this date, if not already completed. Those with awards starting after July 22, 2024, must complete the program within 60 days of automatic enrollment in the MSU Faculty RECR Program that will occur at the time of award start.

The required training aims to:

1. Educate faculty on key research and scholarship topics deemed important by MSU.
2. Meet all federal requirements and guidelines for training and RECR education content and frequency.
3. Provide up-to-date information on federal policies and key issues of integrity in research, scholarship, and creative activity.

Faculty PIs and co-PIs will be automatically enrolled in the MSU Faculty RECR Program course and must complete the following CITI - Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative modules:

1. Introduction to RCR (RCR-Basic) - ID: 17009
2. Mentoring and Healthy Research Environments (RCR-Basic) - ID: 20983
3. Authorship (RCR-Basic) - ID: 16597
4. Plagiarism (RCR-Basic) - ID: 15156
5. Data Management (RCR-Basic) - ID: 20896
6. Research Misconduct (RCR-Basic) - ID: 16604

All six modules must be completed for course credit, though not necessarily at the same time. Each module takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

The CITI FAQ page (MSU login required) provides instructions for adding the proper CITI course group and ensuring your completion records are imported into MSU's Ability LMS system.

A record of completion will be documented in the Ability system within a week after completing all course modules. Ability LMS tracks all compliance training and education completion on campus. The Research Integrity Office will monitor faculty compliance with these requirements.

Faculty PIs and co-PIs must also assign their personnel supported on the grant to the appropriate RECR course in the Ability system, including:

1. Research Associates and Postdoctoral Researchers
2. Research Assistants and Technicians
3. Undergraduate Students

Instructions will be provided in the first enrollment email. Faculty can email the following links to their personnel. These links allow individuals to self-enroll in the appropriate training track:

• Research Associates and Postdoctoral Researchers
• Research Assistants and Technicians
• Undergraduate Students (link coming soon)

Additional helpful information can be found on the RECR FAQ page (MSU login required)

Online CITI Training Modules

New Faculty RECR Program (select this in CITI)

• Introduction to RCR (RCR-Basic) - ID: 17009
• Mentoring and Healthy Research Environments (RCR-Basic) - ID: 20983
• Authorship (RCR-Basic) - ID: 16597
• Plagiarism (RCR-Basic) - ID: 15156
• Data Management (RCR-Basic) - ID: 20896
• Research Misconduct (RCR-Basic) - ID: 16604

 The approximate time for each module is 30 min.

Access the training modules at CITI

• Login "Through My Organization" using your MSU NetID and password.
• Select "MSU Faculty RECR Program"