SCC Responsible Conduct of Research | SCC

About

SCC Responsible Conduct of Research

Division: Institutional Effectiveness
SCC Policy Number: SP2.0.2-1
OPR: Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness
Issued: 10/23/2020 
Revised: 
Approved SCC President/CEO: 10/23/2020
Reference KCTCS Policy: Employee Responsibilities Policy 2.0.2; Human Subjects Research Policy 1.8.2.3.2; Core Values and Ethical Standards 5.1.20-P

Policy

Somerset Community College is committed to responsible and ethical conduct of research and scholarship among its faculty, staff, and students. Responsible conduct of research should foster a climate of intellectual honesty and a commitment to ethical responsibilities by academia. All members of the SCC community share responsibility for developing and maintaining standards to assure ethical conduct of research and detection of abuse of these standards.

SCC continually strives to maintain a research environment that promotes attention to the highest ethical standards for all sponsored and non-sponsored research. It is expected, therefore, that all researchers participate in ongoing education in all core areas that comprise a comprehensive responsible conduct of research curriculum. These core areas include:

  • Conflict of interest
  • Human subjects, animal, and safe laboratory practices
  • Mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
  • Collaborative research
  • Peer review
  • Data acquisition, management, sharing and ownership
  • Research misconduct
  • Responsible authorship and publication
  • Scientist as a responsible member of society

Recipients of awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are required to comply with specific requirements to ensure appropriate training in the responsible conduct of research. Researchers applying for, and receiving, support from a federal agency will need to be familiar with these respective regulations, as well as provide documentation of appropriate training as required under the terms of the award. Regardless of funding, however, these core ethical values are expected to be upheld in all research conducted at SCC.

SCC researchers and students involved in conducting this research will also need to comply with KCTCS Human Subjects Research Policy 1.8.2.3.2. If the research is grant-funded, copies of HSRB approvals must be forwarded to the Grants Department for record keeping.

Reviewed: 4/15/2022, 5/22/2023: Format changes