The impact of participation in a Research/Writing Group on scholarly pursuits by non-tenure track clinical faculty

Abstract

Background and purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success of a faculty Research/Writing Group (RWG) by quantifying the amount of scholarly productivity from participants in the group compared with that of a matched cohort.

Educational activity and setting: The RWG meets monthly to discuss current projects, providing an assessment of their scholarly activity. Participants offer ideas on improvement, resources and possible platforms for presentations and/or publications.

Findings: To evaluate the success of this model, scholarly production from the participants in the RWG was compared to a matched group of clinical non-tenure track faculty not participating in the group over a three year period. Faculty perception of RWG participation was evaluated by data collected through a survey using Qualtrics.

Summary: Participation in the RWG provided these junior faculty the support system to feel confident in their pursuit of scholarly activities; and therefore, they outpaced their counterparts in dissemination of their research.

Keywords: Accountability group; Faculty; Research; Scholarship.