1. Organizational Culture for Research Integrity in Academic Health Centers Jim Vander Putten (University of Arkansas-Little Rock) Carol R. Thrush (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) Paper presented at the 2006 Research Conference on Research Integrity, December 1-3, Tampa.

2. Background and Purpose Research involving human participants Social and behavioral sciences Survey of faculty perceptions of academic organizational culture and climate characteristics for research integrity One primary research question guided this pilot study: 1.What are academic health center faculty perceptions of the organizational culture and climate for research integrity?

3. Theoretical Framework Two areas of research literature informed this study: Organizational culture and climate in higher education; Productivity in the responsible conduct of research. Organizational Culture and Climate: Institutional Culture: “basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by the organization” Organizational Climate: “current patterns of organizational life and members' perceptions of them” Together, culture and climate both exert powerful influences.

4. Methods Data Source 26-item fixed response survey instrument Respondents rated characteristics of their immediate work unit, rather than self-assessments of individual research integrity Work unit: “your department or unit, and the people with whom you work on a day-to-day basis” Procedures/Participants 43 health professions faculty from one medical school in the South. Data Analysis three one-way ANOVAs principal components factor analysis

5. Results ANOVAs: Academic health center faculty consistently rated 'pressure to publish' as highly characteristic Academic health center faculty rated 'socialization to research integrity' as relatively uncharacteristic No significant differences by gender or faculty rank. Factor analysis: Leadership/Communication (10 items for 33% of the variance ) Awareness of IRB Resources and Procedures (5 items for 24%) Faculty Research Productivity (3 items for 14%) Total variance explained: 71%.

6. Conclusions Two primary limitations: small convenience sample of volunteers single-institution research design Results provide initial insights into dimensions of institutional culture Help us understand how faculty perceive characteristics of the organizational culture Help academic leaders understand dimensions of their institution’s campus culture for research integrity