Graduate Students Find Content of Responsible Conduct of Research Coursework Useful

Concerns about the integrity of scientific research and the erosion of public trust in science led to policy recommendations to improve the responsible conduct of research (RCR). One recommendation was to increase scientific integrity through training, and numerous funding agencies mandated training in RCR for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Many institutions implemented training on consensus recommended topics. While many reports describe RCR training and demonstrate the effectiveness at the end of training, they do not report on its usefulness to the trainees in the real world. This study was initiated to address this gap and evaluate graduate student perceptions of the utility of coursework in RCR during their subsequent dissertation research. The study consisted of two cross-sectional survey studies conducted at a mid-sized university in the United States. The first captured the responses of first-year doctoral students enrolled in a semester-long course in RCR (n = 83 respondents). The second captured the responses of past participants in the course (n = 74 respondents). The results demonstrate that students enrolled in the course gain knowledge and self-efficacy from the course. Past participants in the course identified lessons learned from the course that helped them navigate or avoid ethical challenges in their research. The results demonstrate that students appreciate the value of training in research integrity and that they are applying concepts from their coursework very early in their careers.