This study examined research misconduct and related university policies including prevalence of misconduct, institutional procedures and responsibility for dealing with misconduct, relationships between misconduct and federal funding, actions taken to educate faculty administrators and students, and whether review of misconduct policies should be part of accreditation. A random sample of North Central Association accredited institutions of higher education were surveyed. Institutions selected offered a full continuum of academic degrees with full-time enrollments of at least 5,000 students. Of these 36 were randomly selected, assured of anonymity and confidentiality and then 31 were interviewed by telephone. Most often the interview was with the graduate dean of the institution. Results of the survey indicated that 62 percent encountered no cases of misconduct though 38 percent were dealing with a wide range of allegations of misconduct. The actual incidence and prevalence of misconduct was unclear. Officials did not appear to have a standard internal reporting system to assess the extent of misconduct. A variety of structures existed on campus to deal with misconduct allegations, and the amount of an institution's external support appeared to be related to the degree of sophistication of its policy and procedures for dealing with misconduct. (Contains 14 references.) (JB)