Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI)

Training for undergraduate researchers

Per University requirements, completion of online Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) training is now required for all undergraduate researchers who are performing independent research which may lead to, or be included in, a publication or any form of public dissemination (e.g., a poster or oral presentation at a meeting). This includes students presenting at our annual Penn State Hazleton Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Students participating in research projects as part of their coursework only are NOT required to complete this training. As a result of this requirement, undergraduate researchers should take the online training offered by CITI.  Participation should be encouraged and monitored by faculty advisers.

You can access all SARI training modules through the CITI program: www.citiprogram.org. Faculty advisers will probably want to help guide their students through the initial process to make sure they complete the proper module.

Instructions for Students:

  • Visit www.citiprogram.org
  • Select “Register” on the top right of the page
  • Type “Pennsylvania State University” in the box under “Select Your Organization Affiliation”
  • Click the two boxes below, and select the left button to continue to create your own username and password
  • Enter your name and PSU e-mail address
  • Continue to fill out each page for your username, password, security question and country of residence
  • Choose “No” when asked about receiving Continuing Education Unit credit
  • On step 6, use your PSU e-mail address, ask your faculty adviser for your department, and choose “undergraduate student” for status
  • On step 7, choose the appropriate box for your research. If you work on animals or humans in your research, you will need the IRB module. Otherwise, most students will choose the second option, RCR. See below for more details if you are unsure.
  • Continuing on step 7, choose Undergraduate Student and the select again your previous choice (e.g., RCR or IRB)
  • Click “Finalize Registration,” choose “Pennsylvania State University Courses” and select the course listed below.
  • First complete the “Assurance Statement” and then complete each required module

Which Curriculum?

Courses for human subjects researchers (IRB courses), for biomedical or social/behavioral researchers. These courses are required for IRB approval, and will also meet the SARI requirements.

Refresher courses (IRB or RCR versions). Faculty may select one of these shorter offerings if they feel they are knowledgeable about current research ethics issues, or have previously had training (CITI or other) in this area, and do not need to take a full-length course.
 
For most students, option 2 (RCR) is preferred. However, if the student is planning on participating in research involving human subjects (i.e., a research project requiring an IRB review), then option 1 (IRB) is more appropriate.
    
Completing the Modules

  • All required modules must be passed with a combined score of at least 80%.
  • EXPECT COMPLETION OF THIS TRAINING TO TAKE A TOTAL OF 3-4 HOURS!
  • Be careful in your quiz – if you scroll down with your mouse to get to the next question, you can change your answer in the previous multiple choice question completed.
  • You can immediately re-take each quiz to try to improve. If you do poorly on a quiz, read over the questions you got wrong, learn from this, and try again. You won’t necessarily get the same questions, but you might as well re-try while material is fresh on your mind.

 
Final requirements for students

When you have completed all required elements for all of the topic areas, you will be able to download a completion report. PRINT THIS OUT TWICE. Keep a copy for yourself, and give the other copy to your research advisor for their records. You will need this printout to present your work at the Penn State Hazleton Research Fair in the spring.

Note for faculty advisers

Take advantage of this training to discuss materials covered in the modules with your student. It’s a nice opportunity for you to discuss the importance of integrity in science, plagiarism, issues related to data acquisition and ownership, the publication process, mentor and trainee responsibility, etc. Given that this training is probably designed more for graduate students, some of the materials covered are a bit complex for undergraduates (e.g., the peer review process), so be available to discuss these issues with them.
 
See the SARI @ PSU website for more details such as FAQs, announcements, newsletters, documents and links.