Beyond Compliance: Advancing Research Integrity through Climate Data, Interpersonal Skills, and Institutional Insight - Genuine integrity in research requires more than rule compliance; it depends on skilled individuals working in environments that foster ethical behavior. This project responds to ORI’s call for upstream, evidence-based strategies to prevent misconduct. By identifying how individual skills and institutional climates shape research integrity, we aim to equip institutions with tools to reduce detrimental research practices (DRPs) and support high-quality research. This project advances a novel, multilevel model that integrates behavioral, emotional, and social skills (BESSI), interpersonal climate (CARES), and institutional research climate (SOURCE). Surveys will be deployed via our established Results Analysis Engine (RAE), a secure platform supporting benchmarking, anonymized data collection, and dynamic institutional reporting. RAE’s integrated design supports responsive feedback loops between assessment and action. The project will engage adult researchers at all career stages, including graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and research staff, affiliated with research-intensive institutions across North America. In Year 1, we will analyze existing datasets representing approximately 5,000 individuals. In Year 2, we will recruit 500–2,000 new participants, with continued reach through institutional leaders and research integrity offices. Our project has two specific aims. The first is to test and validate a multilevel model linking skills, climate, and DRPs using confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling. The second is to develop guidance documents, co-created with institutional leaders through semi-structured interviews, to support translation of data into improvements in research climates. This project offers a rare opportunity to connect empirical modeling with institutional practice at scale. By combining validated assessment tools, psychometric rigor, and a proven digital infrastructure, it promotes sustainable, systemic improvements in research integrity.
