PRINT DISCLAIMER: Official version of this document is accessible in the online policy library at https://policyoffice.ku.edu/. Printed copies may not reflect the most recent updates.
DOCUMENT TYPE:
Policy
PURPOSE:
To define the expectations for doctoral research skills prior to the comprehensive examination for graduate students.
APPLIES TO:
Doctoral students admitted under the 2011-2012 through 2026-2027 academic catalog requirement years, as defined by the Office of the University Registrar.
CAMPUS:
Edwards, Lawrence
POLICY STATEMENT:
All doctoral students must meet the Research Skills requirement before proceeding to comprehensive exams. The requirement must include at least two (2) components:
I. Every doctoral student is required to have training in responsible scholarship pertinent to the field of research.
II. Every doctoral student is required to obtain research skills pertinent to the doctoral level of research in their field(s).
Procedure
For both of these requirements, it is the responsibility of the department to report when the student completed the requirement and how the requirement was met via the Progress to Degree form. Meeting this requirement is determined by the program/department according to the department’s approved research skills requirement plan.
All doctoral programs must have a research skills requirement plan approved by the school/College and the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs.
As outlined in University Senate Rules and Regulations 2.3.8.6, no course graded CR or NC can count toward the satisfaction of the requirements for a graduate degree. This prohibition includes any courses taken to meet the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement.
Please see the Graduate Grading policy for more information.
CONTACT:
Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs
213 Strong Hall
1450 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-8040
graduate@ku.edu
RESPONSIBLE UNIT:
Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs
APPROVED BY:
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
APPROVED ON:
2010-03-30
EFFECTIVE ON:
2011-08-01
REVIEW CYCLE:
1 year
BACKGROUND:
It is the purview of the department or program to determine the necessary topics in training doctoral students in the areas of responsible scholarship. Such topics may include:
- Protection of human subjects
- Welfare of laboratory animals
- Conflicts of interest
- Data management
- Mentor/student responsibilities
- Collaborative research
- Authorship, publication, plagiarism, copyright
- Peer review
- Professional practices
- Maintenance of confidentiality
- Appropriate research conduct and research misconduct
It is also the purview of the department or program to determine the research skills necessary to perform doctoral level research. Research skills may include:
- Knowledge of a language(s) significant to the field
- Research methodology
- Methods of qualitative and quantitative data analysis
- Computer programming necessary for the field
- Laboratory skills and techniques necessary for the discipline
These lists serve as guides; additional appropriate topics may exist.
RELATED FORMS:
Degree Progress Report
RELATED RESOURCES:
Responsible Conduct of Research
CHANGE HISTORY:
02/04/2026: Substantively reviewed. Updated applies to date, USRR reference, and removed outdated related statute.
09/29/2025: Updated formatting.
06/06/2025: Updated links
04/01/2025: Migration to TeamDynamix from Drupal.
07/27/2023: Approved by updated to Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, updated policy formatting, fixed broken links. added purpose.
10/20/2014: Policy formatting cleanup (e.g., bolding, spacing).
12/06/2012: This policy was updated. Effective for incoming doctoral students starting fall 2011.
TITLE:
Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship