Responsible Conduct of Research 1: An Introduction

Mandatory PhD course

All PhD students are required to participate in the course Responsible Conduct of Research 1: An Introduction, offered by the Graduate School.

When can I take the course?

  • The course is held numerous times a year and equivalent to 1.5 ECTS
  • You must participate in the course within the first 12 months of your enrolment at the Graduate School
  • You can enroll via the course catalogue
  • Please note that RCR2, which follows after RCR1, is equivalent to 1 ECTS, which is part of the minimum 28 ECTS and maximum 35 ECTS of the total ECTS credits you must obtain before completing your PhD.

Location

The course is held online and at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Panum. Please check the course catalogue for more information about the location. 

The purpose of the course

The purpose of the course is to provide knowledge and training that will assist the participant in designing and conducting research projects in compliance with current regulations and norms regarding responsible conduct of research.

The course will cover these topics:

  • Documentation of scientific results
  • Handling and keeping of scientific data
  • Authorship
  • Intellectual property rights
  • Conflicts of interest and commitment
  • Communication with the public

The purpose of the course is to inform about current norms of responsible conduct of research and enable reflection on how to apply these norms. You will learn how to:

  • describe and discuss various forms of Research Misconduct: Fabrication, Falsification, and Plagiarism
  • describe how to draw the line between Research Misconduct and Questionable Research Practices
  • describe how allegations of Research Misconduct are raised and the principles for handling suspicions of Research Misconduct
  • describe national and international institutions handling Scientific Misconduct or dealing with Questionable Research Practices

Format of the course

The RCR teaching lasts one day and consists of four modules. Each module combines a lecture with student interaction.

Each course has about 45 participating PhD students.

Module 1: Overview of the field

Provides an introduction to good scientific practice, questionable research practices (QRPs), and research misconduct, and a presentation of the institutions dealing with QRPs and research misconduct. We also discuss how best to avoid research misconduct (especially plagiarism).

Module 2: Authorship and the Vancouver recommendations

Presentation of the norms regarding publication, various kinds of deviations from these norms, and handling of the many grey zone issues to which the application of these norms give rise.

Module 3: Research data management
Module 4: Conflicts of interest and commitment, communication with the public

Curriculum

The course curriculum consists of the e-book, RCR – A Danish textbook for courses in Responsible Conduct of Research, by Karsten Klint Jensen, Martin Marchmann Andersen, Louise Whiteley and Peter Sandøe (eds.). Get the e-book

Written assignment

In order to pass the mandatory PhD course in responsible conduct of research, the participant must hand in an assignment where the participant describes and discusses relevant issues from the curriculum in relation to own research work.

Cancellation Policy

Please remember to familiarize yourself with the Graduate School's cancellation policy, as failing to comply with the cancellation policy will result in a course fee charge.