MD/PhD Student Requirements
The overview here summarizes activities for both Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and Scientific Rigor and Reproducibility (SRR) together. The activities for each are summarized individually, along with the time expended on them, in the respective ‘Modalities’ sections.
First year (MS 1)
- Lecture: Overview of RCR (typically during a lunch meeting in September)
- Online: Responsible Conduct of Research BGS 1st Year (via KnowledgeLink)
Completion of requirements: No later than December 1
Second year (MS 2)
- Lecture and discussion during Case Studies and Translational Research (CSTR) seminar (Fall)
Completion of requirements: Fall semester
Third year (PhD 1)
- Lecture: Resource Authentication and Transparency (Fall)
- Workshop: Research misconduct, data management, mentor/mentee relationships, and the Penn MSTP mentor/mentee compact (Spring; review the relevant case study modules provided in the RCR/SRR website for BGS beforehand)
- A candidacy exam proposal in which satisfactory attention is given to premise, experimental design, variables, and reagent validation
- Online: Responsible Conduct of Research BGS 2nd Year (via KnowledgeLink)
Completion of requirements: No later than June 30
Third or fourth year
Fourth year (PhD 2)
- Workshop: Collaborative science, use of animals in research, use of humans in research, and Inclusivity, diversity and equity in science (IDE) (Spring; review the relevant case study modules provided in the RCR/SRR website for BGS beforehand)
- Online: Responsible Conduct of Research BGS 3rd Year (via Knowledgelink)
- RCR-focused lab meeting: Topic(s) to be chosen by Principal Investigator
- SRR-focused lab meeting: Topic(s) to be chosen by Principal Investigator
Completion of requirements: No later than June 30
Fifth year (PhD 3)
- Workshop: Conflict on interest, responsible authorship/publication, peer review, Mentor/mentee relationships (revisited), and Scientists as responsible members of society (Spring; review the relevant case study modules provided in the RCR/SRR website for BGS beforehand)
- Online: Responsible Conduct of Research BGS 4th Year (via KnowledgeLink)
- RCR-focused lab meeting: Topic(s) to be chosen by Principal Investigator
- SRR-focused lab meeting: Topic(s) to be chosen by Principal Investigator
Completion of requirements: No later than June 30
Sixth and Seventh year (PhD 4 and, if applicable, PhD 5)
- RCR-focused lab meeting: Topic(s) to be chosen by Principal Investigator
- SRR-focused lab meeting: Topic(s) to be chosen by Principal Investigator
Completion of requirements: No later than June 1
Final year (MS 4)
- Bioethics and Professionalism week-long course: Confidentiality, informed consent, conflict of interest, and professionalism
Completion of course: February