Rigor & Reproducibility Training | Rutgers School of Graduate Studies

For a boilerplate document that can be used to describe the NIH compliant Rigor and Reproducibility training for grad students and postdocs for fellowship applications (F30,31,32) and training grants (T32), please click here.

Available Courses

The Biomedical Sciences graduate programs in New Brunswick/Piscataway are now requiring all incoming PhD students (starting Fall 2017) to take one of 3 biostatistics courses to ensure Rigor and Reproducibility training for all biomedical PhD students.

The requirement includes the following graduate program: Biochemistry, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacology, Exposure Science, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Neuroscience, Physiology, Toxicology
It is up to the student to decide which class s/he would like to take to fulfill this requirement and the options are listed below.
- Fall - "Statistics in Biomedical Science" CTSC 5103S. SGS Course number 16:115:557 (index#: 22748) Fridays 12:30-3:30 PM. Dr. Philip He is instructor. For a course syllabus, click here. Taught in person in RWJMS V12.
- Spring - "Statistics in Biomedical Science" CTSC 5103S. SGS Course number 16:115:557. Dr. Goutam Shahani is instructor. Fridays 3-6 PM. Taught remotely via Zoom.
- Spring - "Interdisciplinary Biostatistics" SGS Course number 16:125:578. Valerie Tutwiler is instructor. T/F 12:10-1:30 PM in BME-116. For a course syllabus, click here
- Spring every other year - “Deeper Data Analysis for Neuroscience and Psychology 16:830:533:01 on Thursdays from 10:00 AM- 12:30 PM. For a course syllabus from 2020, click here
These will be 3 credit courses and cover the following topics:

Determining Power, Defining Endpoints, Randomization, Blinding, Assay Expertise Level, Data Management / Analysis, Data Inclusion / Exclusion, Bias, Reproducibility, Statistical Theory, and Statistical Methodology

Pilot R&R Program 2016

To address the new NIH requirements concerning scientific rigor and reproducibility (NOT-OD-16-011), Rutgers piloted a series of webinars that is funded by an NIH R25 grant (PI: DiCicco-Bloom) and developed in collaboration with the Society for Neuroscience (Promoting Awareness and Knowledge to Enhance Scientific Rigor in Neuroscience). Rutgers biomedical science programs required all 1^st year PhD students as well as and 5^th year PhD students and postdoctoral fellows who were registered for Responsible Conduct of Research training to watch the webinars in 2016 which covered the following topics:

Planning experiments and preparing for data collection | January 20, 2016 watch now
Minimizing bias in experimental design and execution | February 23, 2016 watch now
Post-experimental data analysis | May 19, 2016 watch now
Data management and reporting | July 18, 2016 watch now

Rutgers University Biostatistics & Epidemiology Services Center (RUBIES)

(RUBIES) has been created to provide statistics, programming, and data analysis to investigators on a mostly fee-for-services basis.

RUBIES will deliver a wide range of services including data cleaning, statistical programming, study design, data analysis and interpretation, and technical report preparation, as well as the production of statistical summaries, tables, and graphs. The first hour of consultation is free, after which additional work completed based on an agreed-upon written estimate of cost (non-faculty investigators should be accompanied by their faculty mentor for the initial meeting). RUBIES staff will ensure completion of more complex requests by working with faculty or by referring those requests to faculty with relevant expertise in Epidemiology, Statistics, or Biostatistics. For more information about RUBIES or to request a consultation, please visit rubies.rutgers.edu. Human Cell Authentication Technology Available at Rutgers.

Molecular Resource Facility (MRF) at Rutgers NJMS

The MRF is pleased to announce the availability of Short Tandem Repeat (STR) DNA profiling for the authentication of human cell lines!! STR profiling aids in the detection of misidentified, cross-contaminated, or genetically drifted cells, which invalidate research results. STR profiling is a rapid, reproducible, and standardized PCR-based method for the authentication of human cell lines.

On October 9, 2015, the NIH published new guidelines to implement rigor and transparency in NIH & AHRQ Research Grant applications. In addition, many journals now require proof of cell line authentication prior to publication including Nature publishing group, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) publications, BioMed Central journals, PLOS ONE, Society for Endocrinology publications, etc. For rapid and reproducible results the MRF will use Promega’sPowerPlex® 18D System which allows the amplification of 18 STR loci simultaneously in a single tube!! For more information don’t hesitate to contact mrfadm@njms.rutgers.edu or call 973-972-2625.