SARI@PSU Statements for Grant Proposals

For NSF grants:

The National Science Foundation published a notice on August 20 that it is now implementing Section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act. The notice is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-19930.htm.

Effective January 4, 2010, NSF requires each institution that applies for NSF funding to certify that the institution has a plan for RCR training and oversight of students who will be participating in the proposed research. SARI@PSU will meet these requirements. Although our more extensive SARI@PSU requirements target graduate students, the components for RCR education that are in place are suitable for, and available to, undergraduate researchers and postdoctoral fellows (who are included in the NSF requirement).

Please feel free to copy and paste the language below in your grant proposals, or anywhere that a description of the SARI Program is required. For assistance please contact us at sari@psu.edu.

Penn State’s Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI@PSU) program is designed to offer Penn State researchers and scholars comprehensive, multilevel training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR), in a way that is tailored to address the issues typically faced by individual disciplines. SARI@PSU programs address topics such as publication practices and responsible authorship, conflicts of interest, research misconduct, peer review, mentoring, data management, collaborative research, human subjects protections, and animal welfare. In general, SARI@PSU addresses these issues through two initiatives: an online RCR training program offered by CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative), and interactive, discussion-based RCR education. All graduate students at Penn State, who matriculated in fall of 2009 or later, are required to complete the SARI requirements prior to graduation. Beginning September 2011, the SARI@PSU program also requires participation by new full-time faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate researchers. Although the participation requirements are less stringent for these groups, all SARI@PSU resources (courses, workshops, seminars) are available to any Penn State personnel.

The SARI@PSU program is directed by the Office for Research Protections, which maintains annual records of participation and provides oversight for the program. Additional information, including copies of SARI@PSU graduate program training plans and student participation reports, is available from the Office for Research Protections upon request.

For postdoctoral training:

Some agencies require postdoctoral fellows to submit training plans for RCR education. All SARI@PSU program activities are available to postdoctoral fellows, although the SARI@PSU program only requires postdocs to complete online CITI training. Some agencies specify that postdoctoral RCR education must have a significant face-to-face component, and that online training alone is insufficient. By identifying SARI@PSU opportunities in their department, college, research program, or the University, postdocs are able to describe the activities in which they will participate for their planned training. The following is some suggested language that can be used (or adapted, by adding a specific training plan) to describe the opportunities available for postdoctoral fellows:

Penn State’s Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI@PSU) program is designed to offer Penn State researchers and scholars comprehensive, multilevel training in the responsible conduct of research (RCR), in a way that is tailored to address the issues typically faced by individual disciplines. SARI@PSU programs address topics such as publication practices and responsible authorship, conflicts of interest, research misconduct, peer review, mentoring, data management, collaborative research, human subjects protections, and animal welfare. In general, SARI@PSU addresses these issues through two initiatives: an online RCR training program offered by CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative), and interactive, discussion-based RCR education. Although postdoctoral fellows at Penn State are only required to complete the online CITI training to meet SARI@PSU requirements, many interactive, discussion-based RCR educational opportunities are available throughout the University. Postdoctoral fellows may participate in SARI@PSU activities within their college or research program; they may attend events sponsored by the Rock Ethics Institute (approximately 8 seminars annually), or they may participate in SARI@PSU educational events offered by the Office for Research Protections (18-24 events annually).

The SARI@PSU program is directed by the Office for Research Protections, which provides oversight for the program. Additional information is available from the Office for Research Protections upon request.