RCR Getting Started
The FAQs below will walk you through the steps of creating and/or enrolling in the Responsible Conduct of Research course.
Course Content
1. What modules are required?
2. Are there optional modules pertaining to my discipline that I can complete?
3. Will the optional modules affect my overall grade?
How to create or affiliate with a UK CITI account
1. How do UK employees or students, who have a UK affiliated CITI account, log in through linkblue?
2. How do UK employees or students who do not have a CITI account create an account?
3. How do UK employees or students who have an existing CITI account through
another institution, affiliate with the UK curriculum?
4. What if I don’t know my UK Link Blue ID or password?
5. What am I required to do if my name has changed since I created my CITI account?
Enrolling in the RCR course
1. The UK curriculum on CITI offers two course menus, IRB and RCR. Which do I choose to
access Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training?
2. How do I enroll in the RCR (Basic) course on the CITI website?
3. What happens if I need to quit the RCR course and return later?
4. Will I receive a reminder email to let me know my RCR training will soon expire?
Miscellaneous
1. How long will it take to complete the CITI RCR course?
2. What if I completed the RCR course in the last year, before it was changed to one basic course? Do I need to
complete it again?
3. The only active button is the "Responsible Conduct of Research Special Instructions" button. How do I start
the "Reproducibility" module?
4. Is there a paper-based alternative for RCR training if I do not have access to
a computer to complete CITI?
5. Can I view the CITI program website in other languages?
6. How do I review the courses that I have completed?
7. What other courses are available on the UK CITI curriculum?
8. Does the CITI Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) course count for IRB approval?
9. How do I retrieve my RCR training certificate from my UK CITI account?
Course Content
1. What modules are required?
- Responsible Conduct of Research Special Instructions;
- Mentoring;
- Peer Review;
- Research Misconduct;
- Conflicts of Interest;
- Data Management; and
- Reproducibility of Research Results.
2. Are there optional modules pertaining to my discipline that I can complete?
Yes, they are referred to as "Supplemental Modules". You may complete any module(s) you choose under "Supplemental Modules".
Optional modules available:
- Communicating with the Public;
- Presentation of Research Findings;
- Financial Responsibility;
- Introduction to RCR;
- Environmental and Social Dimensions of Engineering Research;
- Using Animal Subjects in Research;
- Plagiarism;
- Research, Ethics, and Society;
- Authorship; and
- Collaborative Research.
3. Will the optional modules affect my overall grade?
No, the optional (Supplemental) modules will not affect your overall course percentage.
How to create or affiliate with a UK CITI account
1. How do UK employees or students, who have a UK affiliated CITI account, log in through Link Blue?
- Go to the UK CITI Single Sign On page.

- On the UK CITI Single Sign On page, enter your Link Blue ID as your Username and your current Link Blue password. (Do not include @uky.edu when entering your Link Blue ID)

2. How do UK employees or students who do not have a CITI account create an account?
- Go to the UK CITI Single Sign On page.
- On the UK CITI Single Sign On page, enter your Link Blue ID as your Username and your current Link Blue password. (Do not include @uky.edu when entering your Link Blue ID)

- CITI will attempt to match your account. If no match is found, CITI will present you with two options.

- Click "I don't have a CITI Program account and I need to create one".

- You will then be prompted to create a new CITI Program account.

- You will receive an email confirming your account.
3. How do UK employees or students who have an existing CITI account through
another institution, affiliate with the UK curriculum?
- Go to the UK CITI Single Sign On page.

- On the UK CITI Single Sign On page, enter your Link Blue ID as your Username and your current Link Blue password. (Do not include @uky.edu when entering your Link Blue ID)

- CITI will attempt to match your account. If no match is found, CITI will present you with two options.

- Click “I already have a CITI Program account”.

- You will then be prompted to provide your Username and Password for your existing CITI account, the click Log In.

- Once CITI finds a match, you will be redirected to your Courses page, click “Records” to confirm the match was accurate.

- You will receive an email confirming your account.
4. What if I don’t know my UK Link Blue ID or password?
- For help identifying, activating, or resetting your UK Link Blue ID or password go to the UK Information Technology Services linkblue Account page.
5. What am I required to do if my name has changed since I created my CITI account?
In order to ensure that any subsequent training is accurately credited to your account, you must:
- Click the arrow next to your name in the upper right hand corner of the page

- Click "Profiles"

- On your Profiles page, under Member Profile, click "Edit Profile"

- Enter correct information

- Click Update

- You will get a confirmation

Enrolling in the RCR course
1. The UK curriculum on CITI offers two course menus, IRB and RCR. Which do I choose to
access the Responsible Conduct of Research (Basic) course?
- To access RCR training, select "RCR" and NOT "IRB" from the CITI curriculum page. RCR training does NOT meet the training requirement for IRB approval. RCR stands for Responsible Conduct in Research. RCR training is also required in order to receive grant funding from select agencies.
2. How do I enroll in the RCR (Basic) course on the CITI website?
- You may enroll initially from the Courses page after logging in to your account. Scroll to the bottom of your Courses page then click "Add a Course".
-
- In the next window, select the “RCR” menu, then click Next.
- NOTE: RCR training does not meet the IRB Human Subject Protection training requirement. .
-
- Select Responsible Conduct of Research (Basic), then Next.
-
- You are directed back to your Courses page where it states you are now enrolled.
-
- Scroll down to "Courses Ready to Begin" and click Start Now to complete the RCR Basic training.

3. What happens if I need to quit a course and return later?
- CITI allows you to complete the course at your own pace. You may quit and return to the course later. However, you must quit after taking the quiz for a particular module, not DURING the taking of that quiz, or your answers will not be recorded.
4. Will I receive a reminder email to let me know my RCR training will soon expire?
- ORI does not send RCR training reminders. However, if you complete RCR training on CITI, you will receive an automated email notification from CITI approximately 90 days prior to your expiration date. Note that CITI sends the reminder to the email you used when setting up the CITI account.
Miscellaneous
1. How long will it take to complete a CITI Program course?
- Each course will have a different number of modules, but the CITI program reports that the average learner spends approximately 4.5 hours to complete the RCR (Basic) Course site with approximately 5 logins to complete the course. The average learner requires approximately 2 hours to complete a CITI Program HSP Refresher Course.
2. What if I completed the RCR course in the last year, before it was changed to one basic course? Do I need to
complete it again?
- Yes, the course has changed to only include 7 modules. If you have completed the course within the last year, you will need to follow the instructions to enroll in the new Basic Course and complete the 2 new modules and associated quiz in order to get credit for RCR completion.
- Responsible Conduct of Research Special Instructions (instructions on completing the other 6 modules, only takes a minute but must be done)
- Reproducibility (not in previous versions of RCR courses)
- You will not need to take the course again until the certificate expires in a year. A refresher course will be available at that time.
3. The only active button is the "Responsible Conduct of Research Special Instructions" button. How do I start
the "Reproducibility" module?
- In order to activate the start button for the "Reproducibility" module, you must complete the "Responsible Conduct of Research Special Instructions" module first. This will only take a minute as this module only contains instructions on completing the course modules.

4. Is there a paper-based alternative for initial (basic) Responsible Conduct
of Research (RCR) training if I do not have access to a computer to
complete CITI?
- If extenuating circumstances prohibit access to a computer, contact Belinda Smith (belinda.smith@uky.edu, 859-323-2446) to obtain an alternate paper-based course and exam.
5. Can I view the CITI program website in other languages?
- CITI currently offers website content in the following languages: English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
6. How do I review the courses that I have completed?
- After logging in to CITI through the Single Sign On portal, select "Records" from the menu at the top of the page.
- Or, from the Courses page, scroll to the bottom of the page, then click "View Previously Completed Coursework" under Learner Tools for University of Kentucky.
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7. What courses are available on the UK CITI curriculum?
- Initial Human Subject Protection Training
- 3 Year Refresher Human Subject Protection Training
- Revised Common Rule
- Sponsor-Investigator Training (Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training)
- Responsible Conduct of Research Training
- Other Optional Training (Students in Research, HUD, etc.)
8. Does the CITI Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) course count for IRB approval?
- No, if your intent is to complete IRB human subject protection training, be sure to select "IRB" from the CITI curriculum page.
- Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) training covers topics integral to the preparation and development of current and future scientists in all areas of research (not just human subjects). It is a requirement of certain funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). For information on the RCR training or requirement, see the RCR question under the Other Training FAQs.
9. How do I retrieve my training certificate(s) from my UK CITI account?
- After logging in to CITI through the Single Sign On portal, select "Records" from the menu at the top of the page.

- Next to “Show Records for:” you should see “University of Kentucky”.

- If you do not, click the arrow to pull down your list of affiliations.

- Then choose “University of Kentucky”.

- The records section provides access to courses from both current and past affiliations.

- Scroll to the course for which you want to retrieve a certificate.

- In the “Completion Record” column, click “View-Print-Share”.

- Click “View/Print” to have a PDF document generated for you to download.

- Click “Copy Link” to copy a link to send via email.
