Ethical Research
At Grinnell College numerous research opportunities are available for both faculty and students in a variety of departments. This research ranges from field studies at CERA, to online surveys or laboratory work. Growing federal guidelines and regulations for research necessitate increased awareness of the ethical implications and considerations when undertaking a research project. If you conduct research of any kind in association with Grinnell College (e.g. anthropology, biology, psychology), please refer to the following pages to determine what level of review is necessary for your project.
Research Ethics Resources
Researchers at Grinnell need to consult the relevant ethical resources:
- Responsible Conduct of Research - Researchers have important professional and regulatory responsibilities related to the the responsible conduct of research (RCR), which is broadly defined as the practice of scholarship and scientific investigation with integrity. This site provides information and resources regarding NSF and NIH requirements regarding RCR.
- NSF Competes requires training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Visit NSF COMPETES Compliance for more information and resources.
- NIH recently updated the RCR Education Requirements. See Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research. The updated Policy covers specific award mechanisms and is effective for new and renewal applications submitted on or after January 25, 2010. Updates are effective for all continuation applications with deadlines on or after January 1, 2011.
- CITI RCR Course
- Resources
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) - Grinnell's IRB oversees all college research involving human participants. The IRB page includes general IRB information, human research proposal forms, online ethics training tutorials and additional links for both students and faculty.
- Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) - The IACUC for Grinnell College reviews all college research including animal subjects. Grinnell's IACUC page contains general IACUC information, animal research proposal forms, online ethics training tutorials and supplementary links for students and faculty.
- Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) - Grinnell's IBC evaluates all college research utilizing biohazards, such as recombinant DNA. The IBC page covers general IBC information, biohazard safety guidelines and regulations, online biohazard training tutorials and additional links for both students and faculty.
- Office of Institutional Compliance - This office encompasses issues of Research Integrity, Conflict of Interest and the duties of the college's Regulatory Compliance Officer. The Office of Institutional Compliance page provides general compliance information, federal guidelines and regulations for research, online conflict of interest tutorials and directions for reporting research misconduct.
