Improve Research Productivity Research Articles

Organisational Factors as Predictors of Research Productivity: Evidence from Selected Universities in Uganda

The pivotal role that research play in knowledge generation within higher education institutions has attracted the attention of many scholars. These have mainly looked at ways of improving research productivity in such institutions. In this study, the aim was to examine whether organisational variables in Bean’s model jointly predict research productivity of a PhD-holding academic staff member in a university in Uganda. The organisational variables were university research emphasis, university reputation, university size, university affluence, and university autonomy. Employing a positivist approach and using a predictive, cross-sectional survey design, 217 PhD-holding academic staff members from three universities in Uganda, namely, Bishop Stuart University, Makerere University, and Uganda Christian University provided data by completing SAQs. We tested the study hypotheses using both Pearson’s linear correlation and standard multiple linear regression. Both bivariate and multivariate results indicated that there was no significant prediction between research productivity and the organisational variables. We concluded that the organisational variables in Bean’s model do not jointly significantly positively predict research productivity of a PhD-holding academic staff. Because the prediction of research productivity by most of the organisational variables individually were not statistically significant, we recommend that university administrators address these factors in unison to enhance research productivity of their PhD-holding academic staff

Tips on how to improve research productivity

Tips on how to improve research productivity

Interventions to enhance the research productivity of academic staff in higher education schools of nursing: A systematic review

AimSynthesize and present peer-reviewed evidence of interventions that enhance the research productivity of academics in Schools of Nursing in Higher Education Institutions. BackgroundPressures on academics in Schools of Nursing worldwide to increase or maintain high research productivity persist and numerous Higher Education Institutions across the world have developed interventions to increase productivity. Given evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a withdrawal from research, understanding which interventions best support and improve research productivity is urgent. Increasing research capacity is crucial but only one element in increasing productivity. No recent attempt has been made to synthesise the knowledge gained from these more wide-ranging initiatives. DesignA mixed-methods systematic review, registered in PROSPERO, searching four academic databases (CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO) from 1/01/2010–20/04/2022. All primary research studies of relevant interventions were included if they described the intervention, reported its outcomes and were published in the English language in peer-reviewed journals. Results1637 studies were assessed against eligibility criteria, resulting in 20 included studies. No studies were excluded based on quality. Data pertaining to understandings of ‘research productivity’, barriers to research productivity, interventions and outcomes of interventions were extracted. The most often used measures were the frequency or staff-output ratio of funding, publications and presentations, while the less commonly used were the number of conference abstracts submitted/accepted and awards. Subjective measures were less commonly used. Barriers to research productivity fell into three broad categories: resource constraints, lack of priority for research and barriers related to the attitudes, knowledge and skills of School of Nursing academics. Interventions covered nine broad areas. Half of the interventions were multi-stranded, including a wide range of components to increase research productivity while the other half comprised one component only, such as writing groups and mentoring. All interventions had a positive impact on research productivity, however, heterogeneity in the measurement of impact, the duration of interventions, sources of comparative data and research design made comparison of interventions challenging. ConclusionsThe review identified a need for future research to explore the barriers among under-represented groups of academics in Schools of Nursing across a broader geographical area; and what works for various sub-groups of academics. It also identified a need for a valid, standardised tool to assess the effectiveness of interventions to increase research productivity of academics in Schools of Nursing.

Formal mentorship in Canadian radiology residency programmes

To characterise formal mentorship programmes in Canadian radiology residency programmes, to evaluate residents' perspectives on formal mentorship, and to identify ways to optimise mentorship during radiology training. An anonymous survey was distributed to radiology resident representatives of the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) Resident and Fellow Section (RFS). Questions pertained to the presence and structure of formal mentorship programmes at each participant's institution. The survey was distributed to 33 radiology residents, of which 30 responded. All 16 accredited radiology residency programmes in Canada were represented. Of these programmes, 12 (75%) had formal mentorship programmes and four (25%) did not. The structure of formal mentorship programmes varied among institutions including one-on-one and group mentoring. For 33% of residency programmes, the programme director assigned the mentor and mentee groups. Only 33% of respondents had the option of choosing their mentor. Lack of funding and lack of time were the two main perceived barriers by residents to maintaining mentorship relationships. Although not all radiology residency programmes in Canada have a formal mentorship programme, most have a form of structured mentorship in place. As formal mentorship programmes improve overall mentorship experience during residency, they can lead to improved research productivity, fellowship, and career preparation, as well as work-life balance for Canadian radiology residents.

The contrasting effects of interregional networks and local agglomeration on R&D productivity in Chinese provinces: Insights from an empirical spatial Durbin model

This paper examines the contrasting effects of local agglomeration in innovation activities and the interregional networks derived from innovation collaboration on R&D productivity. Based on a two-stage R&D process, this study enriches the existing research and highlights the significance of interregional networks and local agglomeration in understanding spillover effects and productivity improvement. This study employs the network slacks-based measure model to quantify the R&D productivity of two successive stages of research and technology transfer using panel data from 2009 to 2017 for 30 Chinese provinces. It employs the spatial Durbin model to explore and compare the effects of interregional networks and local agglomeration on R&D productivity at each stage. The findings show that interregional networks play an important role in improving research productivity, while local agglomeration is more important in technology transfer research. The significant spatial spillover effect of technology transfer productivity in adjacent provinces indicates a large likelihood of convergences in R&D productivity. The results confirm that interregional networks and local agglomeration operate at distinct parts of the R&D process.

Quantifying the influence of Indian optics research: An index based on three citation indicators

Objective: This study aimed to identify and analyse the characteristics of highly cited papers (HCPs) in optics publications from India indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection database over the past 30 years. The analysis focused on document types, annual production and citations per publication, journals, countries, institutes, authors, and the top cited papers. The study also evaluated the publication performance of institutions and compared citation indicators of the most frequently cited articles. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study used a bibliometric analysis approach and identified HCPs as documents cited 100 or more times by the Web of Science Core Collection from 1992 to 2021. Data were visualised using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix R packages. Citation indicators, including total citations and citations in 2021, were used to compare the most frequently cited articles. Results/Discussion: The results showed that most highly cited papers were published in journals with high impact factors. The USA was the dominant country in collaboration with India in optics publications. The papers by Agostinelli et al. (2003) were the most frequently cited, and the paper by Aghanim et al. (2020) was the most impactful in 2021. The study also found that the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, was the leading institution in the number of highly cited papers produced. Conclusions: This study provides insight into the characteristics and trends of highly cited papers in optics publications from India. The results highlight the importance of collaboration with the USA and the significance of publishing in high-impact factor journals. The study also indicates the need for institutions to focus on producing quality research to increase their publication performance and impact. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature on bibliometric analysis by comprehensively analysing highly cited papers in optics publications from India. The study also provides insights into the collaboration patterns and publication performance of institutions in India. The findings can be used to inform policies and strategies aimed at improving research productivity and impact in India.

The role of knowledge management in driving academic advancement: empirical examination from the lens of the social cognitive theory

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the attitudes, skills and knowledge-based researchers’ competencies (ASK-RC), academic affiliation (AA) and knowledge management (KM) and its effect on promoting the growth of scholarly international publications (SIPs).Design/methodology/approachThis research takes a quantitative approach relying on primary data gathered through a questionnaire-based survey. The study’s target population includes lecturers, managers and researchers involved in research activities in educational institutions. To operationalize the research framework, this study used social cognitive theory (SCT) and the academic community served as an empirical field of study.FindingsThe primary findings of this research are twofold: ASK-RC and AA are positively and statistically significantly associated with SIP; KM moderates the influence of ASK-RC on SIP.Originality/valueThis research adds to the current body of literature on research productivity by providing new information and empirical evidence on improving research productivity and international publication. Moreover, this research offers a new approach to the existing literature stream by operationalizing an underexplored framework from the lens of SCT. This study explains why scientific research productivity is becoming increasingly important to academia and stakeholders. Because scientific works are motivated by the goal of addressing general socioeconomic and environmental concerns, it is possible to address this concern based on SCT. Therefore, this research offers theoretical and managerial implications that may interest academics, professionals and policymakers.

Model for enhancing the research conducted by the university medical staff: Participatory action research

This study employed mixed methods with a participatory action research approach to explore factors currently undermining the conduction of research and to develop strategies to boost research productivity. A questionnaire was distributed to 64 staff members of the Department of Anesthesiology at a university-based hospital. Thirty-nine staff members (60.9%) gave informed consent and responses. Staff views were also collected through focus group discussions. The staff reported that limited research methodology skills, time management, and complex managerial processes were the limitations. Age, attitudes, and performance expectancy were significantly correlated with research productivity. A regression analysis demonstrated that age and performance expectancy significantly influenced research productivity. A Business Model Canvas (BMC) was implemented to gain insight into the goal of enhancing the conduct of research. Business Model Innovation (BMI) established a strategy to improve research productivity. The concept, comprising personal reinforcement (P), aiding systems (A), and a lifting-up of the value of research (L), the PAL concept, was considered key to enhancing the conduct of research, with the BMC providing details and integrating with the BMI. To upgrade the research performance, the involvement of management is imperative, and future action will involve the implementation of a BMI model to increase research productivity.

Letter: Research Productivity of Physicians in the Pandemic and Post-pandemic Era: A "Productive Outbreak'".

To the Editor: On March 13, 2020, the United States declared a national emergency concerning the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during a time of heightened strain on the country's health care system, leading to the near shutdown of elective hospital operations. As health care systems adjusted to new protocols, physicians across many disciplines were affected by the overall reduction in clinical activities. These circumstances created a unique opportunity for clinicians to embark on academic-focused endeavors, including virtual teaching, conducting research, and participating in scholarly activities traditionally threatened by increasingly demanding clinical workloads.1,2 Conversely, in a prepandemic era marred with challenges to supporting physician-scientists, the period of shutdown during the pandemic represented a real-life experiment to examine whether reduction in clinical responsibilities for physicians, without a concurrent increase in research funding, could improve research productivity. We evaluated the research output of medical specialties in the United States between January 2018 and June 2022. We used the monthly publication count in PubMed to determine how research output changed during and postpandemic. Using the 2018 average as a baseline (Supplementary Material, https://links.lww.com/NEU/D579), we observed minimal increase in overall research output across specialties in the prepandemic era. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an abrupt increase in overall research output by 54% (Figure 1). The trend of research output followed a sigmoidal curve that plateaued after the shutdown period and remained elevated in 2022. This increase in output could not be explained by COVID-19–related research activities, which only accounted for up to 6.5% of research output in the same period (Figure 1). Pandemic-related growth in research productivity occurred in almost all surgical and medical specialties with a variable magnitude that ranged from 35% to 83%, with a similar rate of rise during the pandemic (Supplementary Figures 1, 2, https://links.lww.com/NEU/D579). The quality of this research output, measured by the contribution of randomized controlled trials, did not change. Research contribution from basic science, that is affected by workspace closure and decrease funding,3 demonstrated a slow decrease in relative contribution during the pandemic from 20% to 15% of monthly output (Supplementary Figures 3, 4, https://links.lww.com/NEU/D579). These findings support prior published observations on the significant increase in manuscript submission rate during the pandemic.4FIGURE 1.: Trend of monthly publication rate over time before, during, and after the pandemic. Top graph shows the sigmoid shape of the monthly publication rate among all studied specialties between January 2018 and June 2022. Monthly output is reported as the percentage of the monthly average in 2018. Black line shows the interpolated curve with dashed lines representing the 95% CI. Blue bars represent the percentage of COVID-19–related publications in each studied month (measured on right y-axis). Red line denotes March 2020, the month of official shut down proclamation release. Bottom panels show the percentage increase in monthly publication rate reported as percentage difference between prepandemic and postpandemic plateau in the publication curve. Specialty specific curves are shown in Supplementary Figure 3, https://links.lww.com/NEU/D579. The blue line in each pie represents the average increase of all specialties combined.Research output from physicians during the pandemic period could not be explained by increased overall funding which declined during the pandemic.3 Although the argument could be made that this persistent effect is related to the gap between study execution and publication, there is no observed decline in output over 18 months after the shutdown period and return of clinical activities to near normal operations. Increased research output during the pandemic is likely dependent on several factors including infrastructure, positive reinforcement, collaboration, and peer impact. Research activities, ranging from chart reviews to basic science experiments and clinical trials, require an infrastructure of administrative and team-building activities that include regulatory protocols (eg, Institutional Review Board approvals), database construction, building research teams, etc. Once established during the pandemic shutdown, these activities are not project-specific and open the door ongoing productivity. Positive reinforcement after successful publication, peer impact, and availability of mentors are additional contributing factors. As more physicians embark on research projects, such momentum is contagious for colleagues to pursue their own research ambitions, collaborate on common topics, mentor others, and replicate findings in different settings. Notably, early implementation of safe workspace protocols and safe return to work across the country played a key role in minimizing the overall negative impact of the pandemic on research workflow. Apart from this multifactorial phenomenon that could explain this postpandemic “productive outbreak” in research activities among physicians, current data support the notion that the research contribution of physicians across specialties is highly dependent on institutional support of physicians' time contribution to research activities regardless of major changes in funding strategies. We argue that physicians continue to demonstrate the drive, perseverance, and competence to contribute to advancing patient care through medical research. Continued institutional support for clinicians to pursue these activities is likely to reap exponential impact on productivity, especially for early-career faculty. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a real-life experiment to demonstrate that even without an increase in overall funding or proportion of formal physician-scientist trainees, biomedical research among clinicians is heavily influenced by institutional support. Tracking research output over the upcoming year to assess whether research output will remain at the current level will help validate this hypothesis.

COLLABORATION, NETWORKING AND RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY IN NIGERIA’S RESEARCH INSTITUTES: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

This article establishes the effect of collaboration/networking on research productivity among researchers in the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (FMSTI). The study utilises a large cross-sectional survey data collected from senior researchers, scientists and engineers (1611) in the seventeen Agencies of FMSTI. The results showed that internal collaborations among researchers and scientists were high and the purpose of collaboration includes research engagement, grantsmanship writing and journal publications. Most researchers also engage in external collaboration, particularly with other research institutes, Universities and Polytechnics. A few researchers reported collaborations with the industry. The analysis further showed a significant and positive effect of collaboration on research productivity. The results suggested that collaboration, whether internal or external, has a strong potential to improve research productivity. The article concludes that the management of these institutions needs to provide adequate platforms/incentives for researchers to collaborate and network to improve performance.

Assessing the research profile of highly productive authors of Pakistan

PurposeAssessing the research performance of researchers offers inducement toward excellence in research. This study aims to analyze the research productivity of the most prolific authors of Pakistan considering their trends toward publications, citations and collaboration.Design/methodology/approachTop 100 authors from the top 10 Pakistani universities from Web of Science over the 10 years with the rigorous data cleaning process were selected. Scientometric analysis techniques were carried out to evaluate the research profile of these authors.FindingsThe findings revealed that majority of the productive authors were male working in the position of Professor in the physical sciences area. The publications and citations gradually increase with time. They preferred to collaborate for their publications, while first authorship publications were found less in number. Moreover, the propensity to collaborate at the international level increases double-fold from the first five years to the next five years period. In addition, the position of the authors was explored among different performance metrics. The finding exhibits variation in the ranking of authors among them. The impact of numbers of authors, funding status, publication of articles, presence of collaboration and international collaboration on the dependent variable and citation count was insignificant. However, the publication of review papers has a significant impact on the citation counts.Practical implicationsFindings have significant implications for policymakers to make maximum opportunities for researchers to strengthen linkages for collaboration and increase the funding prospects.Originality/valueStudies on this topic are scarce, and therefore, this study provides useful recommendations to researchers and institutes to improve research productivity.

Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: surveys of the Society for Pediatric Radiology and the Society of Chiefs of Radiology at Children's Hospitals.

BackgroundDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, some pediatric radiologists have shifted to working from home; the long-term ramifications for pediatric radiologists and departments have not yet been defined.ObjectiveTo characterize experiences of working from home associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and guide expectations after the pandemic is controlled, via separate surveys of Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) and Society of Chiefs of Radiology at Children’s Hospitals (SCORCH) members.Materials and methodsTwo separate surveys were conducted. In the first, SPR members were surveyed Jan. 11 through Feb. 8, 2021. The response rate was 17.0% (255 of 1,501). Survey questions included demographics, information on the ability to work from home and subjective experiences ranked on a scale of 0 to 10. The survey enabled segregation and comparison of responses between those with and without home PACS. In the second survey, SCORCH members were surveyed Dec. 8, 2020, through Jan. 8, 2021. The response rate was 51.5% (51/99). Survey questions included the logistics of working from home, technical specifications and the expectations on clinical duties performed from home. The Wilcoxon rank test was used to determine statistical significance of compared variables between respondents with and without home PACS in SPR members, and expectations between SPR and SCORCH members. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic questions and free text responses.ResultsThe majority of member respondents (81.2%, 207/255) had a home PACS and most departments provided home PACS to faculty (94.1%, 48/51). Overall, radiologists who could work from home were satisfied with their ability to work from home (mean rating: 8.3/10) and were significantly more satisfied than predicted by those without home PACS (5.9/10, P<0.0001). Respondents overwhelmingly indicated they were less able to teach trainees (mean rating: 2.7/10) and had decreased emotional engagement (mean rating: 4.4/10), but had improved research productivity and cognitive ability for research when working from home (mean rating for both: 5.3/10). Regarding the expectations of the ability to work from home after no longer needing to address the pandemic, department chairs generally favored fewer rotations from home, with 97.9% (47/48) indicating working from home should be 60% or fewer assignments, compared with 84.1% (164/195) of individual radiologists (P=0.071).ConclusionsDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift to working from home using PACS. Results of these SPR and SCORCH member surveys can help inform future decisions regarding pediatric radiologists working from home once the pandemic has been controlled.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00247-022-05299-6.

Evaluating the research productivity of a state university in Central Luzon, Philippines: Basis for policy recommendations

This descriptive study evaluated the research productivity of a state university in Central Luzon, Philippines, for the past five years (2016-2020) as basis for policy formulation. The study used document analysis to ascertain the research productivity in terms of: i) Number of papers published in refereed international journals such as Scopus and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) accredited journals; ii) Number of faculty researchers with publication to these journals; and iii) Total number of citations. The data were obtained primarily from online publications found in the Google Scholar and Scopus databases. Results revealed that the state university's research productivity is relatively high in terms of published papers in refereed international journals for the past five years. However, the published papers in Scopus-indexed journals and CHED accredited journals are relatively low. An average number of faculty researchers publish their works in reputable journals, but very few faculties publish in the journals recommended by the CHED. Likewise, the university had a remarkable research citation record for the past five years. The findings of this research have important implications for policy to improve research productivity and enhance the research culture in higher education institutions (HEIs). Such policies include the need to have strong support to faculty researchers, forge research collaborations, source external research funding, and establish a sound incentive mechanism.

The production of social science research in Nigeria: status and systemic determinants

Nigeria has a very large research system, with nearly 200 universities that employed more than 60,000 academic staff at the end of 2019. The country is also one of Africa’s largest producers of scientific research across all disciplines, surpassed only by South Africa and Egypt. In the social sciences, in particular, Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest producer of published research, after South Africa. However, the country’s social science research (SSR) production does not match the size of its SSR system. Using mixed methods, we come up with two important reasons for this: (i) research inputs are low, mainly because research is poorly funded and researchers devote too little time to research as a result of poor organisational climate, and (ii) the research support system is weak. No single institution currently has a clear mandate to centrally coordinate SSR in Nigeria. Consequently, research efforts are often duplicated and the limited research resources are spread too thin. Moreover, logistical support for research is missing or inefficient in most organisations. Therefore, improving research productivity in the country would require much stronger research coordination and wide-ranging improvements in the research climate.

Understanding language policy as a tool for access and social inclusion in South African higher education: A critical policy analysis perspective

This article argues that the development of language policy for transformation and social inclusion has significantly failed to achieve the ideal order of things given lack of robust monitoring and systematic implementation. This article uses a framework for policy analysis to reflect on the language policy in South African Universities. It explores reasons why the national language policy was introduced and uses the “effect and implementation” two-pronged framework to show how the national language policy has remained an instrument for the reinforcement of the supremacy of English as opposed to enhancing the development of African languages. The article further argues for the deliberate resourcing of the development of African languages to deal with language realities in South African universities. It asserts that the implementation of the South African national language policy framework is unmonitored and unresourced. It critiques the national language policy as political rhetorical and proposes a guiding framework for the development of African languages for meaningful us e in higher education as part of social inclusion. This article explored why the national language policy was established and why using the two-pronged policy analysis framework it can be argued that the policy has failed to have an effect impact on its aspirations and its implementation. A debate about the importance of African languages in teaching and learning, research, community engagement and organisational administration needs to become an integral part of the conversation on student-centeredness; improving graduation throughput; developing indigenous knowledge systems; improving research productivity; transformation and social inclusion; and social and cultural diversity at universities. These debates should be informed by newly developed knowledge frontiers on the role of African and indigenous languages in teaching and learning, and knowledge generation.

A survey exploring research perception of homeopathic undergraduate students in West Bengal, India

Background: Prioritizing undergraduate research is emphasized to develop critical analytical skills and thinking, independent writing, future clinical practice, enhanced employability, and improved research productivity. Despite far reaching consequences, research perception of homeopathic undergraduate students has barely been investigated to date. Poor participation of homeopathic undergraduates in research is reflected by a single MEDLINE indexed publication with adequate students’ contribution in the last decade. We aimed to assess their knowledge and attitude towards research and to identify barriers towards successful conduct of research. Methods: Institutional cross-sectional survey was carried out during August-September, 2013 in the four Government undergraduate homeopathic schools in West Bengal, India involving 902 participants. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed for the purpose depending on earlier studies on medical undergraduates. 364 completed responses were analyzed in the end. Results: Study sample mostly spanned 18-25 years of age group (94%), belonged to urban families (44.8%), with no gender differences (almost 1:1) and no physicians in family (73.1%). Maximum complete responses were obtained from 3rd year students (61.5%) and students of Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital (51.2%). In spite of willingness to participate and keeping a positive attitude towards research, current involvement, training, knowledge and awareness remained quite unsatisfactory. Lack of infrastructure was identified as the chief barrier towards research. Conclusion: Undergraduates had a positive attitude towards homeopathic research, but need a realistic understanding of the research process. Opportunities for research skill development are underdeveloped.

Contribution of Arab countries to Behçet disease research: a PubMed-based bibliometric and altmetric analysis.

Behçet's disease (BD), a rare multisystemic disorder, has an unknown etiology. Interactions between genetic and environmental factors play a major role in this disorder. Human leukocyte antigen B51 allele is the strongest risk factor for the development of Behçet disease. The high prevalence of BD in the Arab world makes it necessary to undergo local research and publications, to target particular genetic, geographical, or even cultural risk factors. This study aims to assess the numerical contribution of the Arab world to research on Behçet disease. Using the PubMed platform, the number of BD-related publications from 2005 to 2019 was assessed for all 22 Arab countries, and countries having the highest prevalence of the disease. Number of publications on BD was normalized to the average population size and GDP for each Arab country. From 2005 to 2019, Arab countries published 198 articles related to BD. This accounts for 0.1% of the total number of BD-related articles published in this period (4170). A significant, positive correlation of moderate strength exists between the number of publications and the average population, while a non-significant, positive correlation of week strength exists between the number of publications and GDP. Concerning the top 15 countries according to Behçet disease prevalence, Turkey had the greatest number of articles, while the USA had the highest ratio of publications per prevalence. The high prevalence of BD in Arabic countries was faced by paradoxically low research activity in this field. Arab countries are lagging behind in the field of Behçet disease-related research, which highlights the need for improving research productivity.

Surgical Clinical Trials in India: Underutilized Opportunities.

Clinical trials in Surgery are central to research; however, very few surgical clinical trials are conducted in India. Such paucity of surgical trials is a cause for concern, and prompted us to explore the recent landscape of surgical trials in India. We reviewed all clinical trials from general surgery or subspecialties of general surgery registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India website between 2018 to 15 th May 2021. Specific details such as the surgical subspecialty, study design, multicentric or single institution and funding were obtained. We found a total of 16,710 trials, out of these 4119 (24.6%) were related to all surgical fields. Only 136 (0.8%) trials were found from general surgery and its subspecialties. Most trials were registered from Central Government Institutions (48%), followed by State Government Medical Colleges (11%). Most number of trials was registered from GI surgery (32%). Most (90.5%) trials were single centre based. Common barriers to research are well known; if the State Government Medical Colleges can mentor a culture of research from an early stage of surgical training it can improve research productivity. Multicentre trials, involving smaller hospitals from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, are a potential solution to one of the major obstacles of surgical trials i.e. small number of patients; especially in this pandemic induced draught of elective surgical operations. A positive change in attitude of surgeons and provision of necessary funding can encourage more surgical clinical trials in India.

“Digesting the abundance of idol matter” key factors in personal information management experiences of selected social science faculty

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the personal information management (PIM) behaviours of social science faculty in Africa. The study examined the experiences and encounters of selected social scientists in Africa in organising and finding and re-finding of the information they previously created or stored. More specifically, the study sought to examine how faculty keep and refind information, the files and folders in which they store the information. Also, the study examined the nature and characteristics of faculty information spaces with particular respect to electronic documents including emails and paper documents.Design/methodology/approachSample survey research design and a mixed methods approach consisting of qualitative and quantitative were used. Data was collected using a discursive technique, an interview schedule and a questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using factorial analysis of mixed data design, guided by a combination of category and codes identification using NVivo and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 17. Principal component analysis (PCA) of factor analysis was executed to identify key components.FindingsEleven issues, namely, time, infrastructure, importance of the information, folder/file management, document characteristics and organisational context played significant roles in the PIM behaviours of the respondents. Others were importance of the information, document overload, memory, workload and computer literacy. PCA extracted four major components, namely, document overload, time, computer literacy and importance of the information.Research limitations/implicationsAn expansion in the number of faculty involved in this study would probably yield a more reliable outcome. Extending the study to cover Africa would also yield a more applicable result.Practical implicationsThe key PIM issues identified in this study, namely, document overload, time, computer literacy and importance of the information should constitute the focus of continuous information literacy education aimed at improving PIM social scientists’ faculty in Africa.Social implicationsImproved PIM of social science faculty will result to improved research productivity and good health.Originality/valuePIM of social scientists has not been examined in the literature, and yet it is crucial for further understanding their learning and information behaviours, and improving their productivity. The design and administration of a questionnaire constructed based on codes extracted from qualitative and discursive sessions to the same respondents from whom the qualitative data was collected makes the findings very strong. A further deployment of factorial analysis of mixed data design to handle qualitative data makes the contribution of the study very significant.

The Impacts of Incentives for International Publications on Research Cultures in Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences

Incentives for improving research productivity at universities prevail in global academia. However, the rationale, methodology, and impact of such incentives and consequent evaluation regimes are in need of scrutinization. This paper explores the influences of financial and career-related publishing incentive schemes on research cultures. It draws on an analysis of 75 interviews with academics, senior university administrators, and journal editors from China, a country that has seen widespread reliance on international publication counts in research evaluation and reward systems. The study focuses on humanities and social sciences (HSS) as disciplinary sites, which embody distinct characteristics and have experienced the introduction of incentive schemes in China since the early 2000s. Findings reveal tensions between internationalization and indigenization, quality and quantity, integrity and instrumentalism, equity and inequity in Chinese academia. In particular, we argue that a blanket incentive scheme could reinforce a managerial culture in higher education, encourage performative objectification of academics, and jeopardize their agency. We thereby challenge ‘one-size-fits-all’ policymaking, and suggest instead that institutions should have the opportunity to adopt an ethical and ‘human-oriented’ approach when developing their research incentives and evaluation mechanisms.