A low-cost approach to high quality responsible conduct of research education

The need for high-quality, accessible training in responsible conduct of research (RCR) globally is evident in the annual increase in paper retractions for scientific misconduct. This paper describes an RCR course that we developed as part of a master's in bioethics degree (MScB) program available to a culturally and linguistically diverse group of scientists, clinicians, and other research stakeholders from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The course has been delivered fully online simultaneously in English and Spanish using instructional materials informed by the perspectives of two culturally diverse co-teaching faculty members. In addition to aiming to educate learners and inspire them to conduct research responsibly and motivate others to do so, the pedagogical and technical design of the course is intentionally structured to strengthen fellows' critical thinking, deepen their understanding of regional and international research ethics guidance, and promote collaboration between Spanish- and English-speaking participants. The RCR course has earned Quality Matters certification, reflecting its commitment to high-quality online pedagogy, whilst containing cost. In this paper, we outline the course's structure and core design elements to offer a model that can be adapted for other RCR programs across diverse countries and cultural contexts.