Academic Recognition Research Articles

Translating interdisciplinary knowledge for gender equity: Quantifying the impact of NSF ADVANCE

AbstractBackgroundInterdisciplinarity is often hailed as a necessity for tackling real‐world challenges. We examine the prevalence and impact of interdisciplinarity in the NSF ADVANCE program, which addresses gender equity in STEM.MethodsThrough a quantitative analysis of authorship, references, and citations in ADVANCE publications, we compare the interdisciplinarity of knowledge produced within the program to traditional disciplinary knowledge. We use Simpon's Diversity Index to test for differences across disciplines, and we use negative binomial regression to capture the potential influences of interdisciplinarity on the long‐term impact of ADVANCE publications.ResultsADVANCE publications exhibit higher levels of interdisciplinarity across three dimensions of knowledge integration, and cross‐disciplinary ties within ADVANCE successfully integrate social science knowledge into diverse disciplines. Additionally, the interdisciplinarity of publication references positively influences the impact of ADVANCE work, while the interdisciplinarity of authorship teams does not.ConclusionsThese findings emphasize the significance of interdisciplinarity in problem‐oriented knowledge production, indicating that specific forms of interdisciplinarity can lead to broader impact. By shedding light on the interplay between interdisciplinary approaches, disciplinary structures, and academic recognition, this article contributes to programmatic design to generate impactful problem‐solving knowledge that also adds to the academic community.

Internationalization and disciplinary differences: Tensions in the academic career in Chilean universities

AbstractThis article broadens the knowledge about the experience of academics in relation to how the internationalization of research has changed in a southern country and tensions that have risen depending on the different disciplines. This work resulted from interviews and documentary data collected mainly through semi‐structured interviews with 57 administrators (including University rectors, provosts, vice‐rectors and deans from multiple disciplines) who had been involved in developing the research strategies. Findings suggest that trends between disciplines differ notoriously. Publishing in foreign countries is more likely to happen to academics from hard sciences. Social sciences and humanities' research activities are often performed in books and book chapters. This translates into an initial disadvantage for social sciences in terms of internationalization since the result of their work is often less visible abroad than scientific indexed papers. This difference might be problematic if used as an indicator of academic productivity and recognition without considering disciplinary differences, especially in countries where research capacities and internationalization are still under development.

Enhancing creditor decision-making in South African business rescue proceedings: a comprehensive analysis of information requirements in business rescue plans

PurposeBusiness rescue, as a mechanism to aid financially distressed companies in South Africa, has received considerable academic and practical recognition. However, the business rescue plan is an overlooked and, perhaps, underdeveloped aspect of the regime. For stakeholders, this is the ultimate decision-making document. Creditors are the most influential stakeholders in business rescue proceedings owing to their voting rights. For creditors to make informed decisions and exercise their votes meaningfully, the business rescue plan should be transparent and adequately disclose relevant and reliable information. This study aims to identify creditors’ primary information needs to enhance the sufficiency and decision-usefulness of business rescue plans, not only to entice the vote of creditors but to enforce accountability from practitioners.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 executives from 10 South African financial institutions.FindingsThe findings reveal that comprehensive disclosure of financial, commercial and legal information in business rescue plans was a critical antecedent for stakeholder decision-making. Additionally, leadership and social impact information were influential determinants. This study advances academic knowledge and, for practitioners, adds value to the development of business rescue plans. This can enhance creditors' confidence in supporting the rescue effort and approving the plan.Practical implicationsThis study advances academic knowledge and, for practitioners, adds value to the development of business rescue plans. This can enhance creditors' confidence in supporting the rescue effort and approving the plan.Originality/valueThe originality of this article lies in its investigation of how creditors assess the information in BR plans as a precursor to supporting the company’s reorganisation in a creditor-friendly business rescue system such as South Africa. This study provides novel insights into the decision-making process, particularly how creditors assess BR plans, address information asymmetry and vote on the plan.

Um modelo de motivação do corpo docente em instituições de ensino superior analisado a partir da complexidade

Objective. This study aims to develop a model that provides a better understanding of the motivation of teaching staff in higher education institutions (HEI) from a complexity perspective. Methodology. It is a correlational-descriptive type of research, with a mixed research method and a motivation-dependent category. The research is linked to a categorical system extracted from the literature review and subsequently refined by two rounds of experts using the Delphi technique. They indicated the following 6 categories that influence teaching motivation: intrinsic, extrinsic, transform knowledge, generate research, quality in education, permanent education, and teaching as a generator of social status. Subsequently, 40 referenced subcategories were constructed that account for each category. For greater accuracy, the Lasso method was used to narrow down the subcategories to 27; this ensured the formulation of questions in a survey with 122 records of teachers, based on the Likert scale type. Results. The interdisciplinarity of complex thinking requires several factors in motivating higher education faculty. These include professional activity, comprehensiveness, effectiveness, knowledge, problem-solving, leadership, interactions, autonomous learning, methodologies, institutional issues, power relations, and social position. Discussion and conclusion. It is crucial to start from a holistic view that integrates teaching motivation in different aspects such as teaching practice, student behavior, organizational aspects, interactivity of the academic community, recognition, and historical and situational contexts. Equally crucial is achieving the integration of these elements that contribute to fostering quality training processes.

How many authors are (too) many? A retrospective, descriptive analysis of authorship in biomedical publications

Publishing in academic journals is primary to disseminate research findings, with authorship reflecting a scientist’s contribution, yielding academic recognition, and carrying significant financial implications. Author numbers per article have consistently risen in recent decades, as demonstrated in various journals and fields. This study is a comprehensive analysis of authorship trends in biomedical papers from the NCBI PubMed database between 2000 and 2020, utilizing the Entrez Direct (EDirect) E-utilities to retrieve bibliometric data from a dataset of 17,015,001 articles. For all publication types, the mean author number per publication significantly increased over the last two decades from 3.99 to 6.25 (+ 57%, p < 0.0001) following a linear trend (r2 = 0.99) with an average relative increase of 2.28% per year. This increase was highest for clinical trials (+ 5.67 authors per publication, + 97%), the smallest for case reports (+ 1.01 authors, + 24%). The proportion of single/solo authorships dropped by a factor of about 3 from 17.03% in 2000 to 5.69% in 2020. The percentage of eleven or more authors per publication increased ~ sevenfold, ~ 11-fold and ~ 12-fold for reviews, editorials, and systematic reviews, respectively. Confirming prior findings, this study highlights the escalating authorship in biomedical publications. Given potential unethical practices, preserving authorship as a trustable indicator of scientific performance is critical. Understanding and curbing questionable authorship practices and inflation are imperative, as discussed through relevant literature to tackle this issue.

Academic Recognition of Pharmacy Assistants in Spain: from the professional diploma to the official degree (1939-2015)

Academic Recognition of Pharmacy Assistants in Spain: from the professional diploma to the official degree (1939-2015)

Longitudinal Negotiation, Navigation Processes, and School Success in High School: A Two-Wave Latent Transition Approach

By combining person-centered analysis with latent transition analysis (LTA) and adapting a navigation and negotiation perspective, we examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ depression and anxiety levels as well as their adaptation and success in high school. Focusing on the navigation (individual adaptation) and negotiation (social adaptation) factors that contribute to school success, our data from a longitudinal study in Switzerland (wave 1 in autumn 2020, grade eight [n = 315]; wave 2 in spring 2021, grade eight [n = 257]) revealed four patterns: students with high levels in both dimensions (“thriving”), students with low levels in both dimensions (“demanding”), students with low negotiation but moderate to high navigation (“unsupported bloomers”), and students with high negotiation but low navigation (“encouraged non-achievers”). The “thriving” pattern had about three times more students than the “encouraged non-achiever” pattern did and about five times more students with a lower depression/anxiety profile than the “demanding” pattern did. Parental involvement and reading comprehension were identified as crucial factors in students’ academic achievement, with parental involvement being significantly associated with the “unsupported bloomers” pattern, suggesting that parents can compensate for the lack of teacher academic support and recognition and it can contribute to students’ academic success. Adolescents with high navigation and negotiation resources had higher reading comprehension scores compared to those with lower navigation and negotiation resources. Reading comprehension significantly influenced grades in language subjects and mathematics. The study emphasized the importance of individual and social adaptation factors in promoting academic success and personal growth in high school.

Solar Energy Systems Course for Energy Engineering Students in the Context of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

The Bologna Process is a voluntary intergovernmental European cooperation initiative that led to the creation of the named European Higher Education Area (EHEA). EHEA was formed to promote mobility, increase academic recognition and attract students and staff from around the world to Europe. In this framework, since 2009, the Barcelona College of Industrial Engineering (Escuela Universitaria de Ingeniería Técnica Industrial de Barcelona – EUETIB) of the Technical University of Catalonia – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is offering the 4-year Bachelor Degree in Energy Engineering since 2009 with a total number of ECTS credits of 240. Current article deals with the inclusion of the sizing and design of solar energy systems in the context of this degree. In particular, and although this topic was eventually abandoned in the initial degree curriculum, the paper deals with the development of a 3rd-year course, Energy Integration, that focuses on this topic.

In Search of Risk Factors: The Origin and Early Stages of Cardiovascular Epidemiology.

Based mainly on their personal experience, the authors try to describe the origin of cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemiology and the problems and difficulties practitioners attempted to tackle and solve during the first few decades of this discipline, which started around the middle of the last century. Beyond identifying the characteristics of those who became CVD epidemiologists, a description is given of the initial structures of the involved studies, participation rates, risk factors measurements and standardization, clinical measurements and diagnostic criteria, mortality data collection and coding, data loading and analysis, plus a number of problems still unsolved at the beginning of the 2000s. Despite many obstacles, and the initial hostility of the medical-scientific establishment, CVD epidemiology represented a revolution in researching in the bio-medical field. In the end, it also affected clinical research introducing the use of the quantitative approach bound to mathematical-statistical procedures. After decades of hard work and the development of a number of innovative tools, CVD epidemiology received its deserved recognition, eventually being accepted as a reputable and independent scientific discipline. Yet, in several countries, especially those from Southern Europe, an academic recognition of CVD epidemiology is still lacking.

Course on Renewable Energies for Energy Engineering Students in the Framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)

As it is well known, the Bologna Process is a voluntary intergovernmental European cooperation initiative that led to the creation of the named European Higher Education Area (EHEA). EHEA was formed to promote mobility, increase academic recognition and attract students and staff from around the world to Europe. On the other hand, since September 2016, the Technical University of Catalonia (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC) – BarcelonaTech has a new Campus in Barcelona City, the Diagonal-Besòs Campus. In this new Campus appears the Eastern Barcelona School of Engineering (Escola d’Enginyeria de Barcelona Est, EEBE), with new Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. In this framework, also since September 2016, the EEBE is offering the new 4-year Bachelor’s Degree in Energy Engineering with a total number of 240 ECTS credits. Current article deals with the inclusion of the course about sizing and design of renewable energy systems in the context of this degree. In particular, and although this topic was eventually abandoned in the initial degree curriculum, the paper presents the development of a 3rd-year course, Renewable Energies, that focuses on this topic.

Archives of Pediatric Neurosurgery is now indexed on Scopus !

I have great news to share! The Archives of Pediatric Neurosurgery is now indexed on Scopus. This is a significant achievement that will enhance the visibility and accessibility of this valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the field of pediatric neurosurgery.In the realm of academic publishing, the significance of visibility and recognition cannot be overstated. Researchers and scholars ardently seek acknowledgment, citations, and the dissemination of their work within the scholarly community. A pivotal factor in attaining such recognition is the inclusion of your journal in esteemed databases.In November 2023, the Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board accepted the Archives of Pediatric Neurosurgery APN) for indexing, recognizing the value of the new addition to the Scopus database and motivating the editorial team to achieve new highs. The acceptance for coverage is indeed a great achievement for the APN editorial team and the Brazilian Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (SBNPed) support.Over the past decade, Scopus has gained immense importance because of its constantly improving functionality, expanded coverage of quality sources, and scrutinized selection and deselection criteria. Launched in 2004 as an Elsevier database, Scopus has succeeded in outperforming many other indexing systems, with 22,794 active titles and more than 78 million bibliographic records [1]Scopus is widely recognized as a reputable source of scholarly information and is used by researchers, institutions, and organizations worldwide for literature review, citation analysis, and research evaluation.Credibility and Quality Assurance Scopus employs a meticulous evaluation process for journals seeking indexing, ensuring that indexed journals meet certain quality and academic standardsHere are some key reasons why Scopus indexing is considered crucial for academic journals:Visibility and Exposure: Scopus is widely used by researchers, scholars, and academics to discover relevant literature in their fields of study. Indexing in Scopus enhances the visibility of academic journals, making them more accessible to a global audience. This increased exposure can lead to higher citation rates and greater recognition within the academic community.Quality Assurance: Scopus employs a rigorous selection process for indexing journals, considering factors such as editorial quality, regular publication, international diversity, and citation impact. Inclusion in Scopus is often seen as a mark of quality, and it signifies that the journal adheres to certain academic and editorial standards.Global Academic Community Recognition: Scopus is used by researchers and institutions worldwide. Being indexed in Scopus enhances the international recognition of a journal, making it more attractive to authors, readers, and potential collaborators from different parts of the world. This global recognition can contribute to the journal's academic prestige.Citation Analysis: Scopus provides citation analysis tools, allowing researchers and publishers to track the impact of individual articles, authors, and journals over time. This can be valuable for understanding the influence and reach of scholarly work published in a particular journal, and it can be used as a metric for evaluating academic impact.Bibliometric Indicators: Scopus provides various bibliometric indicators, such as the h-index, which can be used to assess the overall impact and influence of a journal. These indicators are often considered by researchers when choosing journals for manuscript submission and by institutions when evaluating the academic performance of researchers.Institutional Evaluation: Universities and research institutions often use Scopus indexing as a criterion for evaluating the research output and impact of their faculty members. Having publications in Scopus-indexed journals can positively contribute to the academic reputation of individual researchers and institutions.Research Funding and Grants: Some funding agencies and institutions may prioritize research published in Scopus-indexed journals when awarding grants or funding. This can create additional incentives for researchers and institutions to publish in journals indexed by Scopus.&#x0D; In summary, Scopus indexing plays a crucial role in enhancing the visibility, credibility, and impact of academic journals. It is a key factor for researchers, institutions, and publishers in the competitive academic landscape.

“A World of Possibilities”: The Future of Technology in Higher Education, Insights from the COVID-19 Experience

During the emergency online pivot, two faculties (i.e., divisions) of a large Irish university aimed to document insights about teaching and learning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. An anonymous online survey of all teaching staff within each faculty was undertaken, some of the results of which are presented here. Key findings focus on the use of online technology in higher education, demonstrating the differential impacts on different disciplines and year groups, and pointing to levels of educator readiness and the need for focused professional development and training to prepare staff for integrating online learning to ensure satisfactory outcomes. The emergency online pivot led to significant progress in the use of technology in higher education, and greater academic staff recognition of the benefits and scope afforded by technology. Arising from their COVID-19 experiences, staff expressed a strong preference for blended learning as opposed to learning taking place either fully online or in-person. The potential role of hybrid learning in ongoing efforts towards sustainability was also noted. Many of our findings align with recent research, which is discussed throughout. We argue that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to online education is not appropriate, with greater nuance required and consideration of the rapidly changing educational landscape and issues of environmental sustainability.

The Role of Educator’s Research Perceptions in Shaping Attitudes: Insights from Technical and Vocational Education

This study explores the attitudes of educators towards research activities within their professional responsibilities at Politeknik Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah, Malaysia. Recognizing research as a critical skill for career advancement and academic recognition, the study surveyed 220 educators across six departments, representing 73 percent of the institution’s teaching staff. Utilizing a seven-point Likert scale adapted from Papanastasiou’s Attitude Towards Research (ATR), the research examines five key domains: research usefulness, research relevance, research anxiety, research difficulty, and overall research attitude. The findings reveal a complex landscape of attitudes: while educators generally acknowledge the usefulness and relevance of research, contributing to positive attitudes, they also experience significant anxiety and difficulty, which negatively impact their engagement. These results underscore the need for targeted support to mitigate research-related challenges and foster a more positive research culture among educators.

Research on Text Value and Linguistic Characteristics in Ancient Literature Based on Text Mining Technology

Abstract By combining mining algorithms, this paper provides a new method for quantifying the characteristics of literary language, thereby reducing the subjectivity of the value and language discussion of ancient literature in Chinese. Firstly, the TF-IDF algorithm is improved, the methods of inter-class dispersion and intra-class dispersion are adopted, and the optimal number of topics K of the LDA topic model is determined by using the confusion degree, and the quantitative model of the value and language characteristics of ancient literary texts is constructed. Furthermore, the concept of maximum word-to-frequency ratio is introduced. It is integrated into the traditional information gain method, and an old academic text recognition algorithm based on XGBoost model is constructed. The model’s results were applied to the network corpus mining and analysis, and the results showed that the word “cherishing spring” ranked first with a frequency of 7085 occurrences, followed by “hurt autumn” with 4598 occurrences. Among the eight themes, “natural imagery” (Topic 3) accounted for the highest proportion, reaching 23.68%, followed by “landscape and pastoral” (Topic 7) and “euphemistic words” (Topic2), accounting for 16.29% and 14.54%, respectively. The method of this paper not only provides a new perspective and tool for the quantitative analysis of the linguistic characteristics of literary works, but also points out a new research direction for the in-depth discussion of textual value and linguistic characteristics in the future.

Utopian Impulse in Revolutionary Ireland: A Case Study of the 1918-1923 Irish Soviets

Although the socioeconomic dimension of the Irish Revolution has received academic recognition for several decades, many historians have nonetheless tended to downplay its historical significance, despite the large scale of social unrest and the emergence of an alternative organisational method, dubbed “soviet” after the council movement that sprang up in the 1917 Russian Revolution. In order to somewhat qualify the relevance of such an approach, the present article seeks to determine the extent to which the resort to the self-managed soviets was the expression of what Ernst Bloch defined as a “utopian impulse”, how the latter impacted the Irish revolutionary movement, and why it eventually died out, thus contributing to the establishment of a conservative state in independent Ireland.

Uncovering power asymmetries in North-South research collaborations – An example from sustainability research in Tanzania

North - South collaboration between scientists and collaborators is increasingly prominent and promoted in research. This study examines power dynamics within a North-South research collaboration project conducted between institutions in Tanzania and Germany. The research design is guided by postcolonial considerations of knowledge production and seeks to amplify underrepresented voices from the South. The analysis reveals power manifestations in project setup, processes, and outcomes, through three perspectives: resources, social relations, and discourses. The study confirms the prevailing impression of the Northern partner as the donor and conceptualizer, directing the research path, while the Southern partner remains in a peripheral position as the local implementor. Both parties benefit from the collaboration, but the Northern partner gains more in terms of academic recognition and reproduction, furthering the asymmetrical power distance. This study concludes that to approach the ideal mutual knowledge co-production, collaborations should reconsider funding structures, question ways of knowing, increase the importance of equal capacity building, and challenge established Western academic knowledge production structures.

DESIGNING THE PROCESS OF ACADEMIC RECOGNITION – IMPLEMENTING “BRICOLAGE” AS A METHODOLOGICAL TOOL TO ANALYZE A DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IN THE ULYSSEUS EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE

European Universities Initiative is transforming the landscape of European higher education in a fundamental way with the establishment of transnational, strategic alliances. In view of the overarching objectives of the European Higher Education Area, new alliances contribute to the consolidation of current best practices in education, research and innovation, and enable novel ways of cooperation to enhance them even more. Alongside the optimistic perspectives opening up with the initiative, alliances also face a number of administrative and pedagogical challenges. Fulfilling the expectations of the European Commission in terms of facilitating more flexible study pathways and of adopting transparent practices in academic recognition is one acute topic that needs to be addressed in every alliance: recognition for both access and for advancement needs thorough reconsideration in the new educational ecosystem. The article presents a pragmatic contribution by unfolding a recent development case from the Ulysseus European University Alliance. It describes an intensive process of designing an alliance-level framework agreement for academic recognition, with supporting documents, to enable more functional processes in alignment with the main European policy papers such as the Lisbon Recognition Convention (1997) and taking into account recent studies where hindrances and developments in academic recognition are discussed and analyzed. The case process is articulated methodologically with the framework of bricolage theory (Matthews 2019) that enables a synchronic analysis of the constituents and the outcomes of the process. Pragmatic recommendations are based on the post-hoc analysis of the case where a transdisciplinary working group achieved a significant administrative step forward in alliance cooperation.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/soc/0018/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Merchants, Sorcerers, Fire Worshippers: ‘Snapshots’ of Persian Culture and the Central European Mirror

Critiques of Western Orientalism have been well-known since the Saidean perspective, and in-depth analysis of Frontier Orientalism has also gained prevalence and academic recognition. Yet, another tendency, namely, that of exoticizing Persia, has not been given wide-ranging attention. This paper delivers a theoretical and empirical framework describing another variant of Central European Orientalism, which may be remotely reminiscent of alleged colonial thought, yet with regional peculiarities and without any direct exposition of historical-political conflict.

Claude-Joseph Dorat’s Les Tourterelles de Zelmis : Working towards the Definitive

Claude-Joseph Dorat was a much-published author during, and for a decade or so after, his lifetime. Decried for frivolousness, superficiality and facility, he did not achieve the academic recognition he sought despite his quarrels with the philosophes . Obituaries in 1780 spoke of his carelessness and disinclination to revise his work, but people who knew him better asserted correctly that the reverse was the case. Study of his bibliography—a daunting field requiring much more effort—and of his revisions of several of his books has reinforced this view in recent decades. The particular case of Les Tourterelles de Zelmis , first published in 1765, amended more than once in the subsequent ten years and finally recast in 1780, confirms this view. The existence of a manuscript revision rounds out this example of an author constantly reshaping his creations.

Westernization or internationalization? Academic expectations and challenges faced by international postgraduates in China

ABSTRACT China has become a main host country for international students, but its international programmes for higher education still need improvement. This study aimed to examine the academic challenges that international postgraduates in China face based on Luc Boltanski’s idea of ordinary critique. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and data were collected from 18 international students in two universities in China through semi structured interviews. The ordinary critique of academic difficulties by international postgraduates suggests that Westernized learning content is not sufficiently present in curricula, teachers do not have strong academic recognition from Western journals, the value of diplomas is questioned, and English is not regarded in local institutions as a mark of internationalization.Thus, they equate higher education internationalization with Westernization. These findings are analysed in light of common standards for the internationalization of higher education and offer possible implications for higher education internationalization in the future.