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RCR Web-based Training: Getting Started

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program provides responsible conduct of research (RCR) education to the research community. CITI’s RCR Web-based training consists of a series of training modules. These modules are only an introduction to complex subjects. Students and postdoctoral researchers are also encouraged to have continued discussion on these topics with mentors and colleagues.

The online RCR course takes an average of 2 – 3 hours to complete and includes a quiz for each module. You can complete the course in multiple sessions. Your progress will be saved and you can return to the same place in the course. To successfully complete the course, you must achieve an average score of at least 80% on all quizzes associated with the course’s module requirements.

The RCR course for undergraduate students consists of 12 modules:

  1. Introduction to RCR
  2. Authorship
  3. Collaborative Research
  4. Conflicts of Interest
  5. Data Management
  6. Mentoring
  7. Peer Review
  8. Research Misconduct
  9. Plagiarism
  10. Introduction to Export Compliance
  11. Export Compliance for Researchers
  12. Introduction to Undue Foreign Influence Impacts and Concerns in Academia

The RCR course for graduate students and postdocs consists of 15 modules:

  1. Introduction to RCR
  2. Authorship
  3. Collaborative Research
  4. Conflicts of Interest
  5. Data Management
  6. Mentoring
  7. Peer Review
  8. Research Misconduct
  9. Plagiarism
  10. Research Involving Human Subjects
  11. Using Animal Subjects in Research
  12. Research, Ethic and Society
  13. Introduction to Export Compliance
  14. Export Compliance for Researchers
  15. Introduction to Undue Foreign Influence Impacts and Concerns in Academia

The RCR course for faculty and senior personnel consists of 15 modules:

  1. Introduction to RCR
  2. Authorship
  3. Collaborative Research
  4. Conflicts of Interest
  5. Data Management
  6. Mentoring
  7. Peer Review
  8. Research Misconduct
  9. Plagiarism
  10. Research Involving Human Subjects
  11. Using Animal Subjects in Research
  12. Research, Ethic and Society
  13. Introduction to Export Compliance
  14. Export Compliance for Researchers
  15. Introduction to Undue Foreign Influence Impacts and Concerns in Academia

Note: If your research involves human participants, animals or particular types of hazardous substances/equipment, you will be required to complete further ethics and safety training.

How to Register for RCR Web-based Training

Please note: You must always click “LOG IN THROUGH MY INSTITUTION” and select Northwestern University each time you login to CITI, in order to access the courses for Northwestern.

  1. Go to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program website at http://citiprogram.org.   step1
  2. Click “Log In Through My Organization.”
  3. Begin to type Northwestern and choose Northwestern University from the drop-down list.
    (There is also an option to see a list and choose Northwestern University.)step3
  4. Click “Continue To SSO Login / Instructions”step4
  5. Northwestern’s single sign-on (SSO) screen, Online Passport, will appear. Enter your Northwestern NetID and password, then click the Log In button.step5
  6. If you have not yet created an account in CITI affiliated with Northwestern, then you must respond whether you have an existing CITI Program account to proceed.step6
  7. If you do not have an existing CITI Program account, select “I don’t have a CITI Program account, and I need to create one.”
  8. If you have an existing CITI Program account with any institution other than Northwestern, select “I already have a CITI Program account.” You will need to add or change your affiliated institution to Northwestern.
    Instructions are available on the CITI website:
    How to add/change your affiliated institution or transfer completionstep8
  9. If you already have a CITI account, go to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program website at http://citiprogram.org.

step10

  1. Enter your CITI username and password step11
  2. If a bookmark or another link moves to another part of CITI, please click on My Courses.
    step12
  3. Choose View Courses for Northwestern University.
    step13
  4. Click Learner Toolsstep14
  5. Click Add a Coursestep15
  6. Choose the proper RCR course based on your role. Scroll down and click Submit.
    step16
  7. You are now enrolled in the RCR course.
    To begin, click the Start Now button next to the course.
    step17

Note: After you have completed all of the modules and passed the quizzes with a score of 80% or better, you will be able to download and print a course Completion Report. This report is a transcript providing a detailed record of your training. You will also have access to a course Completion Certificate and are strongly advised to retain a copy of the certificate for your records. The Office for Research Integrity does not issue certificates of CITI training completion.

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