Academic Research Output Research Articles

Role of Openness in Communication in the Absorptive Capacity and Innovation Generation Link in Higher Education Institutions

This paper examines the role that Openness in Communication (OPCOM) plays in the acquisition and exploitation of new knowledge across faculties and departments of the higher education institution (HEI) community for Innovation Generation (INNG). Using the survey research design, data was collected from 282 lecturers purposively selected from the Business Schools of 20 HEIs in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. In testing the hypotheses proposed for the study, the data were analyzed using the Smart Partial Least Squares approach to structural equation modelling. The results revealed that OPCOM is important for the acquisition, sharing and transfer of knowledge in HEIs and has a mediation effect between knowledge acquisition and the generation of innovations. Even though the academic community is typically individualistic, mutual interest between academics can be stimulated if various platforms and open communication forums are established for the exchange and sharing of ideas, knowledge and opinions. HEIs need to invest resources and efforts at building strong relationships that facilitate collaboration, trust and interactions among varying faculties, departments and units. This will facilitate the easy sharing new knowledge to help innovate new products such as improved curricula, enhanced academic instruction and quality research output for the university to sustain their relevance and competitive advantage.

Using Scholarcy in Improving researcher's Academic Writing and Research Output

Using Scholarcy in Improving researcher's Academic Writing and Research Output

Using Scholarcy in Improving researcher's Academic Writing and Research Output

Using Scholarcy in Improving researcher's Academic Writing and Research Output

Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Deception, Disinformation and Social Media

Digital Authoritarianism in the Middle East: Deception, Disinformation and Social Media

Academic research output on social capital: a bibliometric and visualization analysis

PurposeThis study describes and analyzes the output of academic research on the topic of social capital. The concept of social capital has attracted the interest of scholars from a range of academic disciplines, and it has been applied to explain a variety of phenomena.Design/methodology/approachUsing the bibliographic approach, I analyzed aggregate data obtained from the Web of Science database. The analyses were carried out using VOSviewer software.FindingsThe results show social capital to be a topic of interest in multiple fields of academic research. The findings highlight the important role that journals, including those from disciplines other than the social sciences, have played in divulging this concept, and show that some countries and institutions are more productive and engage in more collaborative research efforts than others.Research limitations/implicationsThe main implications of this study regard research on social capital. The results demonstrate how social capital continues to interest scholars from a variety of academic disciplines. Future bibliometric research should include other sources (literature databases) and be expanded to consider other types of publication.Originality/valueThis paper furthers previous research by exclusively focusing on the concept of social capital. It analyzes the international trend in publications up until the end of 2021, thus expanding the publication period considered in previous studies. The results of this study highlight the relevance of bibliometric tools for assessing research performance.

Independence and impact: a typology of researcher-user relationships for policing and crime prevention

ABSTRACT The transition from ‘Mode 1’ to ‘Mode 2’ knowledge-production has created an explicit focus on research impact which is reflected in the funding and organisation of research, the relationships between research and users, and the focus of research studies. It has also led to efforts to understand pathways to impact, although these studies have so far had little to say specifically about crime-related research. This paper comprises an effort to address this gap and explore variations in research-user relationships within research into policing and crime prevention. An ESRC-funded project researching the crime consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, of which we were team members, faced several challenges in terms of data access, data collection and the need to deliver strong academic research outputs, as well as maintaining a clear focus on real world research impacts. This led to a co-productive relationship between the researchers and a range of external partners. There is a dearth of literature theorising the nature of such researcher-user relationships, despite some rich accounts of individual experiences. This paper uses examples drawn from the writings of those who have been involved in research impacts (or who have been thwarted in their attempts), to set alongside the project on which we have been working. From this we present a typology of researcher-user relationships, that we hope will further theoretical discussion in the field and might usefully be applied more broadly to other areas of criminological interest.

Implications of Publication Requirements for the Research Output of Ukrainian Academics in Scopus in 1999–2019

Abstract Purpose This article explores the implications of publication requirements for the research output of Ukrainian academics in Scopus in 1999–2019. As such it contributes to the existing body of knowledge on quantitative and qualitative effects of research evaluation policies. Design/methodology/approach Three metrics were chosen to analyse the implications of publication requirements for the quality of research output: publications in predatory journals, publications in local journals and publications per SNIP quartile from the disciplinary perspective. Findings Study results highlight, that, firstly, publications of Ukrainian authors in predatory journals rose to 1% in 2019. Secondly, the share of publications in local journals reached the peak of 47.3% in 2015. In 2019 it fell to 31.8%. Thirdly, though the total number of publications has risen dramatically since 2011, but the share of Q3+Q4 has exceeded the share of Q1+Q2. To summarise, the study findings highligh, that research evaluation policies are required to contain not only quantitative but also qualitative criteria. Research limitation The study does not explore in detail the effects of a particular type of publication requirements. Practical implications The findings of the study have practical implications for policymakers and university managers aimed to develop research evaluation policies. Originality/value This paper gains insights into the effects of publication requirements on the research output of Ukrainian academics in Scopus.

Research productivity during PhD enrolment for New Zealand sociology 2010–19: latest decade output patterns by gender and university

ABSTRACT Sociology has come late to the practice of publishing during PhD enrolment. This contrasts to fields such as science disciplines (STEM) and psychology where publishing during PhD is part of the disciplinary culture. In New Zealand sociology, over the last decade, the traditional PhD monograph continues to be the main format. Closer measurement of academic research outputs by the New Zealand Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) creates new pressures in the oversupplied academic-research labour market. This study has three main findings. First, within the decade since the PBRF was introduced, the publishing patterns of sociology PhDs have changed very little on the surface. It should be noted, however, that more than half of these students successfully published at least one refereed output, suggesting a possible disciplinary shift in students attempting to produce publications during candidacy. Second, overall in this time period, men and women published during their PhD at equal rates. This, however, masks variation by the institution. Women outperformed men at all institutions except at the largest sociology programme, Auckland University, where they published at the same rate as men. Third, gender differences by quality, sociology versus non-sociology publications and by Australasian versus international publications showed no significant differences.

Academic research output of pharmaceutical sciences faculty in south India

In the absence of quantitative performance metrics and the paucity of authentic data among research output of Indian pharmacy institutions, we decided to carry out the current study to assess the research performance and output of pharmaceutical sciences pedagogue in south India through a (bibliometric tool) H-index. In our study, professors were found to have the highest mean h-index of 9.1, and fewer than 10% of faculty were successful scientists. Good collaborations need to be supported between academics and industry through which novel research could be performed by academic researchers for knowledge creation. Keywords: Bibliometric tool, Pedagogue, Pharmacy, Research yield.

Comparative analysis of research outputs of academics in Private and Public Universities in South East Nigeria

This study comparatively analyzed the research output of academics in public and private universities in South-East, Nigeria. Three research questions were formulated for the study and three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Ex post facto design was used for the study. Multistage sampling procedure involving proportionate and disproportionate stratified sampling, and simple random sampling was used to draw a sample size of 1,119 academics (896 from public universities and 1,762 from private universities) from four public and four private universities in two southeastern states (Anambra and Enugu states) of the country. Data were collected using an instrument titled Academic Staff Research Productivity Questionnaire (ASRPQ). The instrument was validated by three experts who are lecturers in Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Cronbach Alpha was used to evaluate the reliability of the instrument, which gave a coefficient of 0.732. Mean was used to answer the research questions while independent samples t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The results among others reveal that research productivity of academics in both university types is low. Also, academics in public universities were significantly better than those in private universities in more forms of research output. Academics in both university types were found to publish mostly in international journals, and had the least research output in patents and certified inventions. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that academics be encouraged to explore and utilize other forms of research output for enhanced research productivity.

How are mathematical models and results from mathematical models of vaccine-preventable diseases used, or not, by global health organisations?

While epidemiological and economic evidence has the potential to provide answers to questions, guide complex programmes and inform resource allocation decisions, how this evidence is used by global health organisations...

Publication Productivity and Bibliometric Profiling of Graduating General Surgery Chief Residents

This cross-sectional study assesses the publication productivity of graduating general surgery residents as well as factors associated with a chief resident’s academic research output.

Evolutionary entrepreneurial ecosystems: a research pathway

The recent widespread interest of policy in entrepreneurial ecosystems has been complemented by a burgeoning academic research output. This research to date may be broadly categorized as focusing on place, actors, governance, and evolution. Of these groupings, evolutionary processes have been paid least attention despite their centrality to a dynamic ecosystem phenomenon that evolves from an origin through processes of growth, adaptation, and resilience. To redress this imbalance, we frame a future research agenda on evolutionary processes of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Foremost amongst these are the competing lens for the evolutionary processes, the appropriate and evolving geographic scope and boundaries of the ecosystem, and the evolving visible or invisible modes of governance. Methodologically, we call for greater use of longitudinal studies of such evolutionary processes.

Publishing Patterns of Health Informatics in Africa: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study investigates the publishing patterns of health informatics (HIs) in Africa, with a view to analyse the bibliometric growth. The application of HIs has played an important role in the advancements in medical practice and scholars/academics’ teaching and learning at higher education institutions. The aim of analysing the volume of publications of HIs was to establish the research impact, visibility and output of academics, in order to promote scholarly communication and knowledge sharing, and contribute to existing knowledge in this field of study. Interpretive document analysis was applied to literature extracted from the Scopus database for the period between 1987 to 2018. The keywords entered for search engine optimisation were “Health Informatics” and “Africa”. The duration of the study - from when data was harvested, collated and analysis to when the data was presented in tables and then discussed - was three weeks. The results obtained revealed that there were 2332 papers published within this period. The publications were communicated through different avenues, including articles, conference papers, review and others. Publications on medicine was at the top of the list of subject areas recorded. The top journal, where papers in HIs were published, is Plos One. South Africa was among the top countries that published research on HIs. In relation to institution affiliation, University of Cape Town was identified as the higher education institution that produced the highest number of publications, with 128 publications. In terms of funding bodies that supported research, thus leading to publication of papers in HIs, it was found that the National Institute of Health, South African Medical Council, United States Agency for International Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Research Foundation played crucial roles.

Trend of international collaboration in three decades: A case study of Taiwan

This study analyzes the trend of international co-authorship in Taiwan’s academic research output. From 1985 to 2015, a two-slope increase is observed. International collaborated publications continue to increase; while domestic publications reach a saturation point. Distribution patterns over different countries and different research areas are analyzed. The patterns conform to global distribution as time evolves. A new indicator of international collaboration is proposed to measure this conformity.

Influence of Performance Appraisal in Determining Academic Staff Performance in Public Universities in Uganda

In an effort by public universities to improve the performance of lecturers in Uganda, universities are implementing annual performance appraisal. Despite this move, ineffective teaching, low research and publication continue to prevail, making it difficult for public universities to produce the needed human resources for national development. This study investigated the relationship between performance appraisal and teaching and research outputs of academic staff in selected public universities. A mixed method design using convergent parallel approach was employed to collect and analyse data from a population of 4 Vice-Chancellors, 4 Directors of Human Resources and 1127 full-time academic staff. Four universities were selected using purposive sampling based on the year of establishment before 2011. The academic staff was selected by the use of the stratified random sampling technique. A total sample of 299 participants was involved made up of 291 academic staff, 4 directors of human resources and 4 Vice-chancellors in the study. Data collection employed the use of semi-structured questionnaires for the academic staff and interview guides for the Vice-Chancellors and Directors of Human Resources. Analysis of quantitative data collected was done using Pearson’s Correlation, linear regression and factor analysis. Qualitative data was analysed based on thematic content analysis. Results indicated that a moderate positive relationship existed between performance appraisal and academic staff teaching output in public universities (r = 0.452, p < 0.01) and a moderately positive relationship existed between performance appraisal and academic staff research output (r = 0.379, p < 0.01). It was recommended that Ugandan public universities need to revise the existing performance appraisal system to make it more relevant to the key work roles of academic staff of teaching and research outputs.

Mentor and peer support for early career researchers sharing research with academia and beyond

There is a growing expectation that doctoral candidates and early career academics publish research outputs such as journal articles and conference papers, and that they share their findings with key stakeholders beyond academia. However, it is not known if these expectations are being coupled with support from mentors and peers within institutions. Through interviews with recent PhD graduates working as early career researchers in Australia and Japan, this paper investigates if mentor and peer support for producing both academic and translational outputs was forthcoming during their doctoral candidature and beyond. It also investigates kinds of supports provided in doctoral candidature and early career. Thirty early career researchers in Australia and Japan took part in this qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of respondents. Researchers made translation support available for Japanese respondents so that those with limited English could take part. Findings suggest that mentor and peer support were not universal, and some respondents did not have a mentor or significant peer influence supporting their production of academic or translational research outputs. Support for sharing research with audiences beyond academia could be limited, with production of outputs for academic audiences consistently a greater focus of support. There were no mentoring supports for translational outputs that had salience across Australia and Japan within the sample. While limited attention has been given to the role that peer influence may play in supporting research output production of early career researchers the more even power relationship between peers as opposed to the peer-/mentor dyad can allow unique supports to flourish. Where institutions expect growing and diverse research output production by doctoral candidates and early career researchers, they should also ensure that support is provided through facilitating mentoring and peer relationships.

Role of Financial Rewards in Enhancing Academic Staff Performance in Public Universities in Uganda

This article examined the financial reward practice implemented by universities to improve on the performance of lecturers in Uganda’s public universities. The main objectives of the research were to investigate the relationship between financial reward and teaching and research outputs of academic staff in selected public universities. A mixed method design using convergent parallel approach was employed to collect and analyse data obtained from the study. A sample of 299 participants was drawn from academic staff, directors of human resources, and Vice chancellors. Results indicated a weak positive relationship between financial reward and academic staff teaching output in public universities (r=0.282, p<0.01). There existed further a weak positive relationship between financial reward and academic staff research output (r=0.211, p<0.01). It would suffice to effect appropriate financial rewards to academic staff based on a living wage.

Academic Rank and Position Effect on Academic Research Output – A Case Study of Ariel University

The aim of this study is to explore the effects of professional factors (academic rank and academic-administrative role) and home-unit-related factors (affiliation and number of faculty members in the faculty) on faculty members’ research output, measured by number of citations. Research literature on operations research in the academia reflects a dual approach to the association between number of citations and research quality, although it is generally concurred that the number of citations is taken into consideration in assessments for promotion and tenure, and represents a measure of publication quality. The association between faculty members’ administrative roles and their academic output is explored for the first time in this study.We collected data on four citation-related variables for 315 senior faculty members, as well as their affiliation, academic rank, and administrative/academic role, if any. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the model’s goodness of fit.Findings show that faculty affiliation, academic rank, and academic-administrative role affect number of citations. The association between number of citations per faculty, engagement in administrative tasks, and the number of faculty members in the faculty has significant implications for faculty promotion policies and the “price” faculty members pay for assuming administrative duties, especially in the early years of their academic career. Furthermore, the faculty also plays an important role in academic outputs, and its organizational climate may promote or disrupt research-oriented academic careers.

Doctoral education and early career researcher preparedness for diverse research output production

ABSTRACT It is no longer sufficient for higher education providers to solely focus on fostering academic research communication skills in their doctoral candidates, as a broader skillset is needed to communicate research effectively to diverse audiences. Such knowledge mobilisation facilitates research impact beyond academia and is linked to funding opportunities and career advancement. This paper draws upon qualitative interview data from 30 early career researchers (ECRs) based in both Australia and Japan, exploring how their experiences during doctoral candidature prepared them to produce research outputs for both academic and non-academic audiences. It also sought to capture their perceived overall knowledge and skills in producing these academic research outputs for diverse audiences. Findings suggest that preparedness for producing research outputs for the academic community during doctoral candidature are shaped by supervision, self-direction and experience. Far less support for producing research outputs for non-academic users may be provided during doctoral candidature. ECRs’ perception of capability for academic research output production stems from benchmarking against personal prior performance, and colleagues in the field. Capability for non-academic research output production may be much lower than for academic research output production, with ECRs’ professional experiences beyond academia supporting development of these skills.