What the Graduate School is Doing for You
Ethics Training Modules
Graduate students who are conducting research at UT that involves human beings or animals will encounter many rules and guidelines about what is appropriate during research trials. The Graduate School Web site offers training modules for both human and animal research as well as helpful links providing researchers with more information on how to ensure their research is carried out properly.
Below, we have briefly summarized the Ethics Training Modules and provided links to each Web page.
Human Research
This module discusses the role that a Departmental Review Committee (DRC) and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) play in the garnering research approval. Everyone who wishes to conduct research with humans must get consent from both of these entities before beginning their research, and the module explains how the history of violation of human rights around the world led to today’s rules.
This module also discusses the code of ethics followed at UT, explaining the importance of such rules as “free and informed consent.” For more information on human research and to listen to or read the module, please visit http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/ethics/human.html. To visit the Human Subjects and Institutional Review Board (IRB) home page, go to http://www.utexas.edu/research/rsc/humansubjects/index.html).
Animal Research
The Animal Research Module talks about the Animal Resource, or the ARC, which is responsible for every lab investigation on UT’s campus that involves animal subjects. Researchers must follow the ARC’s policies and procedures when conducting any animal research, which can be found online at http://www.utexas.edu/research/arc/.
This module also discusses the four professional principles intended to protect animal lab subjects. To learn more about animal research and to listen to or read the full module, please visit http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/ethics/animal.html.