East Carolina University

Spring 2009

Our purpose in using this OpenSeminar website as part of the Research Ethics course is to welcome you into the East Carolina University research community.

The materials here are designed to support and empower you, helping you to feel comfortable in our endeavors as scholars. Online readings will introduce the rewards of and obstacles to research; the causes and consequences of misconduct; the rights and obligations of professionals; the habits of excellent mentors; and the social mission of the university. We describe a three-step method for making moral decisions: my interests; our interests; all interests.

Assignments for the readings and activities from this site will be found in the syllabus.

To begin, take a minute to acquaint yourself with the three tabs to your left. Click on each one--Schedule, Modules, and Assignments--and review the menus.

Ready to proceed? Click again on Schedule, find "0.0 Intro to course," and click there.

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When taught by an ethicist in a face-to-face instructional setting, this seminar satisfies the responsible conduct of training requirements of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the America COMPETES Act. The seminar is being developed by the Model Curriculum for Land Grant Universities in Research Ethics (LANGURE) project. It is being evaluated by the Extend and Assess Research Ethics Education (EAREE) project. LANGURE is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. and EAREE by Grant No. . Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

To the extent of any conflict between the information on this site and the actual policy, regulation, or rule of a particular institution, the actual policy, rule or regulation governs. Always check your university's specific policies as they may differ from what is described here.

All materials used in these modules are used with permission or pursuant to the fair use provisions of Section 107 of Title 17, the United States Copyright law. Further uses may be subject to the copyright law. The materials under NC State University copyright may be used for non-profit educational purposes, if given the customary attribution and notification is sent to the LANGURE director at

Commercial use is prohibited.