Mission: Responsible Conduct of Research Program

To improve and institutionalize the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the responsible conduct of research to foster a university culture of research integrity at the University of Missouri.

Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research

Most Americans report highly favorable attitudes toward scientific research. Scientists are ranked in the top five in the General Social Survey of Occupations in 2003, with 39 percent of those surveyed indicating they have a great deal of confidence in the leadership of the scientific community (Virginia Commonwealth Center for Public Policy, 2002; Davis, Smith and Marsden, 2003).

These attitudes will change if recent cases of research misconduct, falsification of data, improper cash payments and authorship misappropriation are not addressed by decisive change in the research culture. This project shapes that culture from its inception by training the future professoriate — graduate students and postdoctoral fellows — in the responsible conduct of research.