The responsible conduct of research (RCR) is an increasingly significant component of the education and training of researchers. Georgia Tech has three RCR polices; the two Academic Policies, described below, are part of the Institute's commitment to provide leadership in the realm of ethics and RCR. There is also the RCR Compliance Policy that is intended to meet the RCR training requirements of federal funding agencies and other sponsors.

RCR training is central to Georgia Tech’s mission to ensure that students are prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct themselves professionally and with integrity. Consequently, Georgia Tech enacted the RCR Doctoral Policy, which applies to all doctoral students. As part of their degree requirements, doctoral students must complete both online RCR training and either PHIL 6000 or an academic program's approved in-house training approach.

The RCR Master's Thesis Policy builds on the prior initiative of the RCR Doctoral Policy, expanding RCR training to master’s students who are pursuing a thesis degree. All master's thesis students, as part of their degree requirements, must complete either online RCR training or an RCR course approved for doctoral or master's students.

For information about checking the RCR training status of any individual, refer to Training Status.