Responsible Conduct of Research Training (RCR)

RCR Training

Postdocs and graduate students in PhD programs in the physical sciences, regardless of funding source, will be required to obtain certification through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI); MS students in Statistics and Computational and Applied Mathematics must also complete this training. Graduate students must complete the CITI program and earn certification by the end of their first term and have the option of completing it in the summer prior to their first term. An official notice of certification will be posted on their transcripts.

Students in Biophysical Sciences do not need to complete this training; they receive training through required courses in their program.

Postdocs are required to complete the online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training through the CITI program no later than three (3) days after their appointment start date. 

To Set Up Your CITI Account

  1. You may also download CITI- Single Sign On Instructions for First Time Users [pdf] with screenshots
  2. Go to https://www.citiprogram.org
  3. Click "Register" or "Log In"
  4. Click "Log in Through My Institution"
  5. Select "University of Chicago" as your Organization Affiliation.
  6. Enter your CNET ID & Password for the Username and Password fields. 
  7. Click "Log In"
  8. You will then automatically be re-directed to CITI.  Select “I don’t have a CITI Program account and I need to create one.”  You will then follow the steps to create a new account in CITI.
  9. Answer demographic questions as you wish; there is no expectation you will answer the questions on this page.
  10. Indicate you are not interested in receiving Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credit. You are welcome to participate in research surveys as you see fit.
  11. Complete the required fields on page 6 using the following guidelines:
  12. UChicago ID: Students should enter their 8-digit UCID number. Postdocs should enter their CNET ID.
  13. Department: Enter the department that is your primary affiliation.
  14. What is your Role in Research? Students should select "Student Researcher - Graduate Level." Postdocs should select "Research Fellow-Post Graduate."
  15. Confirm your registration via email. Once you have confirmed, you will be able to log in and begin your training.

Register for Your CITI Course & Complete Your Training

You should answer the registration questions as follows.

  1. Would you like to take the Conflict of Interest Course? Select Not at This Time.
  2. The Good Clinical Practice Course (GPC). You do not need to complete the GPC.
  3. Select Physical Sciences Division as your affiliation.
  4. Would you like to complete the Social and Behavioral Sciences IRB Human Subjects Protection Training Course? Select No.
  5. Indicate your status (Student or Postdoc).
  6. Indicate your institute or department. 
  7. Information Privacy & Security. Select Not at this time.

Once you have answered these questions, you will be assigned your department or institute's course as a member of that group. You will need to complete the Integrity Assurance Statement, after which you can access your group's training modules.

You must complete all required modules with an average score of 80%.