Professionalism and Ethics

Professionalism and Ethics

A solid foundation in professionalism and ethics are among the many goals of graduate education and postdoctoral training. Much of this development is provided through faculty mentorship and guidance. In addition, GradPathways, the Office of Research, professional societies, and individual departments provide workshops, trainings, and symposia in these areas.

Skill Review

Review these skills, and consider if you have already developed the skill enough for your future career plans, expect to develop the skill as part of your program, or need to find additional resources to support developing the skill:

  1. Understand and practice norms of professional communication and civility.
  2. Understand and practice ethical and legal treatment of human and/or animal subjects.
  3. Understand and obtain IRB approval as needed for research.
  4. Perform scientific investigation with responsible conduct according to NSF guidelines.
  5. Promote safety and principles of community on-campus.
  6. Understand mandatory reporting obligations for positions of authority.
  7. Avoid and address plagiarism.
  8. Maintain standards of professional communication online and the responsible use of social media.
  9. Understand and practice professional etiquette in varied professional environments.

Principles of Community

At UC Davis, the Principles of Community are more than ideals—they’re woven into the fabric of university life. Explore training and educational opportunities designed to inspire respect, inclusion, and equity. Learn about programs that bring these values to life, fostering a culture where everyone belongs. Access a collection of resources to support your journey in making these principles a meaningful part of your UC Davis experience.

Code of Academic Conduct

The UC Davis Code of Academic Conduct exists to support high standards of behavior and to ensure fair evaluation of student learning. Students are expected to be aware of and abide by the Code of Academic Conduct. Students who violate the Code of Academic Conduct are subject to disciplinary sanctions that include censure, probation, suspension, deferred separation or dismissal from the University of California. 

Ethics and the Responsible Conduct of Research

UC Davis has a robust Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Program. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is the awareness and application of established professional norms and ethical principles in the performance of all activities related to scientific research. The program is designed to satisfy the requirements of all funding agencies including National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Monthly speakers rotate to cover all aspects of responsible conduct. 

In addition, the Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate Group offers the course GGG 296: Scientific Professionalism and Integrity each Fall to students in the life sciences. The course includes in-depth coverage of both rigor and reproducibility, and responsible conduct of research (RCR) issues, and satisfies the NIH RCR requirements.

Professional Societies

Although not specifically aimed at advising graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, discipline-specific professional societies provide critical opportunities for networking, professionalisation, and leadership related to scholarly integrity and professionalism in their fields. Many professional societies offer deep discounts for student membership, as an opportunity to reach out to new membership and extend their well developed networking opportunities to them. 

Research Policies and Regulations

The conduct of research is highly regulated in certain areas, and the Office of Research is the campus custodian of policies and regulations where it pertains to animal care and use, biologicals safety and biohazard use, conflicts of interest, contracts and grants, export controls, human tissues and specimens, human subjects and Institutional Review Boards, and intellectual property. While your research mentor will include you where necessary to comply with these regulations, familiarity and knowledge of these regulations is an important aspect of professionalization.