Responsible Conduct of Research and Related Policy Issues

A Discussion of Scientific Research Ethics for Students, Post-doctoral Scientists and Fellows, and other Junior Investigators at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center

This course explores a variety of ethical and policy issues that arise during the conduct of basic, translational, epidemiological, and clinical biomedical research. The course's philosophy is to facilitate and encourage students to engage with Columbia faculty members who can speak from their own experience on ethical questions that can arise during the conduct of scientific research.

Class presenters include Chairs of Institutional Review Boards, the Director of the Institute of Comparative Medicine, as well as faculty who are directly involved with these issues. The goal of the course is to provide students, post-doctoral scientists and fellows, junior faculty, and other investigators with a knowledge base as well as practical advice on ethical and policy issues.

Topics addressed include:

• Research misconduct, as well as policies and procedures for addressing
• Mentee-mentor relationship
• Authorship practices and scientific publications
• Research involving human participants/subjects
• Data acquisition, ownership, sharing, management, and reproducibility
• Use of laboratory animals in scientific research
• Conflicts of interest
• Peer review
• Intellectual property and technology transfer
• The role of scientists in society
• Collaborative research
• Partnerships with industry
• The scientific method
• Strategies for a successful research career
• Conflict of commitment
• Safe research environment
• Promoting inclusive excellence in STEM

Course sessions include lectures, class discussion, and case studies. 

Graduate level - Course number: G4010, Call number: 18705, given yearly in the Spring term; One point/credit; Pass/Fail, grade determined by attendance, class participation, and a required essay. There are eleven 1-hour sessions per term.

This course is sponsored by the VP&S Office of Graduate Affairs.    

Location and Time

All sessions are scheduled for Fridays, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM.

All e-mail correspondence (e.g., scheduling updates) will be distributed via CourseWorks. Formally registered students should automatically have access to the course in CourseWorks. Those auditing should contact Dr. Yinghui Mao (ym2183@cumc.columbia.edu(link sends e-mail)) requesting access.

Director

Dr. Arthur G. Palmer III
Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs
Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Professor
Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics
Tel: 212 305-8675
Email: agp6@cumc.columbia.edu(link sends e-mail)

Textbook

Macrina, Francis L. Scientific Integrity: Text and Cases in Responsible Conduct of Research, 4th ed. ASM Press, 2014. Paperback. $65.00. ISBN 978-1555816612. Additional resource material (e.g., case studies) for each session will be distributed in class or via Courseworks. 

Registration

This course attracts class participants from diverse educational and research training programs. Directors of these research training programs and/or research Mentors decide on the didactic training of their trainees/mentees.

Columbia University faculty, post-doctorate fellows/scientists, students, and staff are welcome to audit the course. Those wishing documentation of successfully completing all course requirements should formally register. The Columbia University transcript serves as this documentation. No other documentation will be provided.  Class participants should clarify with their individual research training Program Director or research Mentor on whether they are required to obtain documentation on successfully completing all course requirements (e.g., attendance, essay). The Course Directors are unable to make this determination for class participants [e.g., those supported by NIH training grants (T’s), individual fellowships (F’s), or career development awards (K’s)]. Directors and Mentors of these pre-doctoral, postdoctoral, and junior faculty research training programs may wish to augment the course with additional requirements, including small group discussion sessions, or provide "refresher" training involving individual training program faculty. This course may not be taken twice (whether registered or auditing); i.e., it may not be taken initially and then subsequently years later as a "refresher".

Class participants who are already enrolled in a Columbia University degree granting program should register for "Responsible Conduct of Research and Related Policy Issues" (G4010) similar to their other Spring term classes. All others should contact:

Dr. Yinghui Mao
Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs
ym2183@cumc.columbia.edu(link sends e-mail)

Spring 2026 Sessions