The Office of Research Services provides online and in-person training opportunities for faculty, staff, and students throughout the year. Training opportunities are designed to teach best practices such as compliance with applicable policies, laws, and regulations, as well as to provide researchers with information and tools that can assist them along their research journey. 

  • Required RCR Training
    What is RCR?

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines RCR as, " the practice of scientific investigation with integrity. It involves the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research."

     
    Who is Required to COmplete RCR Training?
    • Responsible Conduct of Research training is required for all YSU researchers before their funded grant account is activated, and by students working on funded research and programs before their hiring paperwork is processed (Effective Fall 2014). 
    • All thesis students and their faculty advisors are required to complete CITI RCR training (Implemented Fall 2014). 
    • Additionally, all faculty submitting proposals to the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes of Health must have completed RCR training prior to submission. The required modules, listed below, must be completed with an average score of 80% before submitting your proposal.

     

    What Topics are Included in RCR?
    • Research Misconduct
    • Safe Laboratory Practices
    • Human Subjects
    • Animal Welfare
    • Collaborative Science
    • Data Acquisition, Management, Sharing,  and Ownership
    • Publication and Authorship
    • Mentor-Trainee Interactions and Responsibilities
    • Peer Review
    • Conflicts of Interest
  • CITI Training

    The Office of Research Services utilizes the CITI Program to offer a variety of training opportunities. The courses available online to YSU faculty, staff, and student via CITI are:

    • Human Subjects Research: “Social and Behavioral”, “Biomedical Data” or “Biomedical Research”
    • Animal Research
    • Responsible Conduct of Research
    • Export Control
    • Committee training (IRB, IACUC)

     

    To access these opportunities, you need to create a CITI account and log in. Registration Instructions for CITI are included in the panel below. 

  • CITI Registration Instructions
    TO REGISTER FOR CITI ONLINE TRAINING:

    In order to register for the CITI online training go to Research Ethics and Compliance Training page and complete the registration:  CITI Program Logo

    1. Click on the “Register” button in the upper right-hand corner of the website to bring up the registration page.
    2. Enter Youngstown State University in the search box.
    3. Agree to the Terms of Service.
    4. Affirm you are an affiliate of Youngstown State University.
    5. Enter your first and last name along with your YSU email address. Please enter your name here as you would like it to appear on your completion report received at the end of the course.
    6. Choose a username and password for your account. Passwords are case sensitive.
    7. Select and answer a security question.
    8. Enter your country of residence.
    9. Enter “No” to the Continuing Education Credit question. YSU will not cover the expense for Continuing Education Credits; they must be paid for by the learner.
    10.  Select “Yes” or “No” to questions regarding future survey participation or marketing information; this is your choice.
    11.  Select the course or courses you would like to register for. 
    12.  Click on Complete Registration.
    13.  Click on Finalize Registration.

    This completes the registration process. You may log out at this time and come back later or continue with the modules. It is not necessary to complete all of the modules at one time, you can log out and log back in at a later time with the username and password you chose in the registration process as many times as necessary until you complete all of the required modules.

  • US Dept. of Education

    Human Subjects Research
    This one-hour course provides an overview of the Human Subjects Research requirements and concepts, the importance and application of Human Subjects Research requirements to the discretionary grants pre-award process, and the responsibilities of program staff regarding the evaluation of proposed grant award activities related to possible Human Subjects Research. At the end of this course, learners will be able to:

    • Define Human Subjects Research requirements and concepts, including 34 CFR 97.
    • Describe the importance and benefit of Human Subjects Research requirements in the grant lifecycle.
    • List key laws and regulations that guide Human Subjects Research.
    • Identify what are allowable and unallowable activities associated with Human Subjects Research.
    • Explain how to avoid unallowable activities and uses of grant funds in Human Subjects Research.

     

    Discretionary Grants Administration
    This 45-minute course provides an overview of discretionary grant recipients' responsibilities for grant administration and introduces references and additional resources that are available to support grantees. Upon completion of this course, trainees should be able to:

    • Identify ED’s Monitoring Practices.
    • Identify administrative changes that do and do not require prior approval.
    • Identify when an independent audit is required.
    • Identify common audit findings and the consequences of unresolved findings.
    • Identify the requirements for performance reporting and records retention.
  • National Science Foundation

    The National Science Foundation has a plethora of resources available for grantees online if you know where to look. The Office of Research Services has compiled some of the most valuable training and information resources.

    Policy Office Outreach Resource Center
    The NSF Policy Office Outreach Resource Center has links to webinars, presentations, and webcasts that the NSF has conducted over the last five years. These include presentations from their annual conference and discussions about changes to the PAPPG. If you have an NSF grant or plan on applying the NSF, this is worth checking out. 


    Webinar on Significant Changes to the PAPPG - 2024

  • Atom Grants

    Atom Grants is the funding opportunity search and recommendation tool utilized by the YSU research community. It can assist faculty, staff, and students locate funding for research, fellowships, training, equipment, and more. It can also help researchers identify and connect with other faculty and staff conducting similar research at YSU and other institutions.  It is a free service for all YSU faculty, staff, and students. An entire webpage with tutorial videos and user guides has been created to assist you in navigating this tool. In-person training is available upon request.

  • Research with Animals

    IACUC 101 Series
    The IACUC 101 Series is an educational program designed to provide IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) members, administrators, veterinarians, animal care staff, researchers, regulatory personnel, and compliance officers information about the role and responsibilities of the IACUC, including an understanding of federal policies and regulations governing laboratory animal welfare. The faculty consists of nationally recognized experts and representatives from private and academic biomedical research institutions, OLAW, USDA, and AAALAC International.


    National Animal Welfare Education Program Workshops and Conferences
    This site lists all the workshops and conferences being offered for the current calendar year. Some of them have already passed and the recordings are accessible. Others are scheduled and participants may register for them. 


    OLAW Upcoming Online Webinars
    The OLAW Online Seminars program is a free webinar series designed to help Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) and Institutional Officials (IOs) explore their responsibilities in the oversight of PHS-funded research that involves the use of live vertebrate animals. The program is tailored to IACUC staff, IACUC members, IOs, veterinarians, compliance personnel, animal care staff, and others involved in animal programs at PHS-Assured institutions.


    OLAW Webinars and Podcasts
    You can access previously recorded webinars and podcasts here. You can also sort by topic and date to find exactly what you are looking for. 

  • SBIR/STTR 

    Online Tutorials
    The Online Tutorials features courses designed to help interested parties learn more about the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. From learning the nuances of each agency’s programs to figuring out how to calculate indirect rates, the Online Tutorials covers all of the bases within the application process for federal funding.


    Train the Trainer Programs
    The TTT curriculum was initially developed for the service provider whose primary focus is working with the tech/R&D entrepreneur, with courses on helping potential applicants and first-time awardees. The three courses offered vary in focus, intensity, and length, with a virtual class once a week to enable distance learning. Each course is offered over a period of 5 to 10 weeks. The courses are free, but registration must be approved by SBA OI&T. These courses are not for individual companies or entrepreneurs; they are only available for those that provide training and support to the entrepreneur. 


    NIH SBIR/STTR Engage & Connect
    This site specifically addresses SBIR and STTR programs sponsored by the NIH. Updates, news links, and webinar videos can be found here.  
     

  • Human Subjects Research

    Luminaries Lecture Series
    The Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) offers a series of lectures by esteemed individuals with thought-provoking insights on human subjects research protections. Many of these lectures are recordings of keynote addresses at OHRP-sponsored Research Community Forum (RCF) events that take place approximately three times a year at locations across the United States. All lectures in the Luminaries Lecture Series meet the Certified IRB Professional (CIP) recertification guidelines and are eligible for 0.25 CIP credit hours per 15 minutes of lecture. [Please have a supervisor sign a log indicating the title and duration of the video and the date in which it was watched as proof of attendance for CIP purposes.]


    Exploratory Workshops (OHRP)
    Exploratory Workshops provide a platform for collegial intellectual exchanges within the research community to promote exploration of a topic of interest that hinges on the Federal regulations on human subjects protection. Speakers are asked to present their perspectives and discuss concerns, controversies, and potential solutions. OHRP considers constructive communication a vital first step towards finding common ground and creating pragmatic workable solutions. Previous workshops are recorded and the recordings, as well as any supplemental materials, are available online. Previously recorded workshops that are currently available include"