Ethics issues for postdocs can be extraordinarily complex: you already have your Ph.D. but are still participating in research as a mentee and strengthening your leadership skills. Ethics CORE's mission is to centralize information on research ethics in the sciences so that you can easily find materials that will help you learn and address ethics issues that you encounter in this transitional role. Here are some places where you might want to start exploring Ethics CORE:

• Read the article What Is Research Ethics? or peruse Introductory Topic Packets.
• A Postdoc Discussion Group where you can connect with other postdoctoral scholars.
• The Future Faculty Forum, a discussion group inspired by a University of Illinois graduate student who wanted a way to talk with others about the transition process from student to faculty member.
• Literature, essays, guidelines, videos, and other resources about mentoring and being mentored.
• Search materials collected by Ethics CORE, including case studies, videos, and lectures,to help you learn about ethics issues, especially in support of the National Science Foundation Responsible Conduct of Research training requirement.
• Web resources from a variety of sources that are or have been used in Responsible Conduct of Research training.
• Self-contained learning modules and tutorials available from Ethics CORE and other online sources.
• Research Literature Search searches the Scopus database for scholarly articles on ethics.
• How to Blow the Whistle and Still Have a Career Afterwards, an essay by C. K. Gunsalus.
• Instructor-led and certificate courses available through the Ethics CORE Moodle.

Additionally, if you register as an Ethics CORE user, you will be able to form discussion groups with other postdocs, connect with university faculty and industry researchers in your field, and contribute ethics materials of your own. The Ethics CORE community can be a resource for you when you have questions, would like to share an insight you have had, or want to learn more about a particular aspect of someone's work.

Links for You

• National Postdoctoral Association
• Presentation materials and resources from Responsible Conduct of Research and Career Development Retreats at the Medical University of South Carolina
• The Lab, a very well-done interactive short film that you can experience through the perspective of one of the four main characters: a graduate student, a postdoctoral scholar, a research project PI (principal investigator), and a university Research Integrity Officer.
• Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research, a freely available PDF published by the ORI
• On Being a Scientist, 3rd ed., published by the National Academies Press. You can start reading it online for free.
• Sigma Xi resources on Research Ethics. Sigma Xi is an international, multidisciplinary research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement.
• The Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Research by the National Academy of Engineering
• Content Collection: Mentoring Advice, a collection of the best Science Careers articles on mentoring. Published in February 2012.

Especially helpful for international scholars:

• Engineering Ethics 0800, a free online course developed at Texas Tech University specifically for international graduate students