Scientific Research Performance Research Articles

Japanese Lung Cancer Research Trends and Performance in Science Citation Index

This study was undertaken to explore a bibliometric approach to quantitatively assess current research trends in lung cancer in Japan, using the related literature in the Science Citation Index (SCI) database from 1991 to 2008. Articles were analyzed by the scientific output and research performances of individuals, institutes, and collaborative countries with Japan. Distribution of words in the article title, author keywords, and KeyWords Plus in different periods was applied to evaluate research trends by the frequency of keywords used. Keyword analysis indicated that there has been a strategy to connect molecular biology with clinical practice. Researchers in Japan have published high impact articles related to non-small cell and small cell lung cancer. Finally, this study highlights the topics in lung cancer research that are becoming popular in Japan.

Inquérito sorológico para toxoplasmose e leptospirose em mamíferos selvagens neotropicais do Zoológico de Aracaju, Sergipe

Os zoológicos modernos são instituições destinadas à manutenção da fauna selvagem com o objetivo de promover a conservação, pesquisa científica, lazer, recreação e educação ambiental. A ampla variedade de espécies selvagens, vivendo em condições diferentes do seu habitat natural, representa um ambiente propício à disseminação de doenças, muitas delas zoonóticas. Devido à escassez de dados e à relevância dos mamíferos selvagens neste contexto epidemiológico, tanto na toxoplasmose, quanto na leptospirose, foi efetuado o inquérito sorológico para toxoplasmose e leptospirose em mamíferos selvagens neotropicais do Zoológico de Aracaju, Sergipe, Brasil. Para tanto foram colhidas amostras sanguíneas de 32 animais, adultos, de ambos os sexos incluindo: 14 macacos-prego (Cebus libidinosus), quatro macacos-prego-do-peito-amarelo (Cebus xanthosternus), três onças-suçuaranas (Puma concolor), uma onça-pintada (Pantheraonca), uma raposa (Cerdocyon thous), seis guaxinins (Procyon cancrivorus), dois quatis (Nasua nasua) e um papa-mel (Eira barbara). Para a pesquisa de anticorpos anti-Toxoplasma gondii foi utilizado o Teste de Aglutinação Modificada (MAT ³"1:25) e para pesquisa de anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. foi utilizado o teste de Soroaglutinação Microscópica (ponto de corte ³1:100) com uma coleção de antígenos vivos que incluiu 24 variantes sorológicas de leptospiras patogênicas e duas leptospiras saprófitas. Dentre os 32 mamíferos, 17 (53,1%) apresentaram anticorpos anti-T. gondii e quatro (12,5%) foram positivos para anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. De acordo com o sexo, 60% (9/15) dos machos e 47,1% (8/17) das fêmeas foram soropositivos para T. gondii e 26,7% (4/15) dos machos apresentaram anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. Dos mamíferos que apresentaram anticorpos anti-T. gondii, 47% (8/17) nasceram no zoológico, 41,2% (7/17) foram oriundos de outras instituições e dois (11,8%) foram provenientes da natureza. Em relação aos quatro mamíferos soropositivos para Leptospira spp., três (75%) foram procedentes da natureza e um (25%) nasceu no zoológico. Este foi o primeiro inquérito sorológico de anticorpos anti-Leptospira spp. em primatas e carnívoros neotropicais em um zoológico do Nordeste do Brasil e descreveu pela primeira vez a ocorrência de anticorpos anti-T. gondii e anti-Leptospira spp. com sorovar mais provável Copenhageni no primata ameaçado de extinção macaco-prego-de-peito-amarelo (C. xanthosternus) em Aracaju, SE.

Impact of Excessive Journal Self-Citations: A Case Study on the Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica Journal

There is an increasing trend towards assessing the scientific performance of researchers and institutions of higher learning in the form of journal publications and the associated citations. Currently, the journal impact factor (JIF) value is the most widely used measure for any academic contents. However, there are growing concerns for the unethical practices adopted by journal editors to manipulate the JIF computations. Recently, a Swiss journal, Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica which has a JIF value of 0.655 in the year 2006 registers a remarkable JIF increment (of 119%) to 1.439 in the year 2007. It is believed that the journal can achieve such a prominent JIF improvement by publishing a single editorial article that self-cited 66 of its own articles published either in the year 2005 or 2006. The journal has been revoked of any JIF value in the following year of 2008. Thus, it is interesting to review the possible alternative bibliographical trend for the journal should the self-cite event has been avoided, the circumstances leading to the decision by the editor to publish such an article and the possible ethical implications or lessons that can be derived from this incident.

An instrument for the self‐appraisal of scientific research performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present findings related to an instrument for the self‐appraisal of scientists' research performance, and highlight the suitability of self‐appraisal instruments for members of the scientific community.Design/methodology/approachAn examination of the literature on self‐appraisal and the measurement of scientific research is presented. The initial development of the instrument employed qualitative methods through interview and discussions with PhD‐qualified scientific researchers (n=13). A quantitative investigation of the usefulness of the instrument was then conducted on a sample of biological and chemical research scientists (n=270). Results were compared with an existing performance measure and examined for representative reliability.FindingsResults suggest that the instrument may be a reliable measure of research performance when used in a non‐critical context.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the instrument shows promise, further research is needed to examine aspects of inter‐rater reliability. Additional research is also needed to further examine relationships between it and other measures of research performance at the same level of analysis. While the usefulness and validity of this instrument at the “international level” has been examined, further research is needed to examine the relative validity and reliability of the instrument at the “institutional” and “national” levels.Practical implicationsThe instrument provides a useful and cost‐effective tool for use in the performance appraisal process of research scientists, and for use in focusing discussion on performance for developmental purposes. It is also useful as a research tool for the timely and cost‐effective measurement of research performance at an institutional, national and international level.Originality/valueThe paper presents an original paper and pencil instrument for the appraisal of scientific research performance at an institutional, national, and international level.

Assessing scientific research performance and impact with single indices

We provide a comprehensive and critical review of the h-index and its most important modifications proposed in the literature, as well as of other similar indicators measuring research output and impact. Extensions of some of these indices are presented and illustrated.

At what age do biomedical scientists do their best work?

Several human characteristics that influence scientific research performance, including set goals, mental and physical abilities, education, and experience, may vary considerably during the life cycle of scientists. We sought to answer the question of whether high-quality research productivity is associated with investigator's age. We randomly selected 300 highly cited scientists (50 from each of 6 different biomedical fields, specifically immunology, microbiology, neuroscience, psychology-psychiatry, clinical medicine, and biology-biochemistry). Then, we identified the top 5 highly cited articles (within 10 yr after publication adjusted for the expansion of the literature) as first author of each of them. Subsequently, we plotted the distribution of the 1500 analyzed articles of the 300 studied scientists in the eight 5-year intervals of investigator's age during the year of article publication (21-25 to 55-60 yr of age), adjusted for person-years of contribution of each scientist in the various age groups. Highly cited research productivity plotted a curve that peaked at the age group of 31-35 yr of age and then gradually decreased with advancing age. However, a considerable proportion of this highly cited research was produced by older scientists (in almost 20% of the analyzed articles, researchers were older than 50 yr). The results were similar in another analysis of the single most cited article of each studied scientist. In conclusion, high-quality scientific productivity in the biomedical fields as a function of investigator's age plots an inverted U-shaped curve, in which significant decreases take place from around 40 yr of age and beyond.

Productivity, impact and publication habits by gender in the area of Materials Science

A comparative analysis of the scientific performance of male and female scientists in the area of Materials Science at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) is presented. Publications of 333 scientists during 1996-2000 are downloaded from the international database Science Citation Index and the national one ICYT. Scientific performance of scientists is studied through different indicators of productivity (number of SCI and ICYT publications), international visibility (average impact factor of publications, percentage of documents in “top journals”) and publication practices (%international publications, signing order of authors in the documents and different collaboration measures). Inter-gender differences in the research performance of scientists are studied. Influence of professional category and age are analysed. Although women are less productive than men, no significant differences in productivity are found within each professional category. However, a different life-cycle of productivity is found for men and woman and the most important inter-gender differences in productivity occur at the ages of 40-59.

A scientometric model for the assessment of scientific research performance within public institutes

Nowadays, the Italian science sector is undergoing a strategic reform due to budget cuts and there is a need for measuring and evaluating research performance of public research institutes. This research presents a new measure to assess the scientific research performance of public research institutes. The new model is successfully applied to 108 public research institutes belonging to the Italian National Research Council, using data from year 2003 and displays the laboratories with high/low performance. The results are substantially stronger and quicker to obtain than those calculated by using conventional indicators. This model supports the policy-makers, who must decide about the level and direction of public funding for research and technology transfer.

Research Performance of Scientists in Academic Institutions in India: An Empirical Exploration

Research Performance of Scientists in Academic Institutions in India: An Empirical Exploration

Research Performance of Scientists in Academic Institutions in India: An Empirical Exploration

Based on an empirical study conducted among 250 academic scientists of India in chemi cal sciences and technology, this article is an attempt to map out only the objective aspects of the phenomenon under investigation, that is, quality research performance among sci entists. In the process, the article examines several hypotheses pertaining to the relation ship between quality research performance (dependent variable) and its empirical and objective predictors (independent variables). That apart, it also examines the well-known Ortega Hypothesis in the sociology of science. Derived from the body of published litera ture, the following is the set of independent variables being examined: (a) type of institu tion the scientist belonged to; (b) research environment at the centre/department; (c) reward system in science; (d) diversity in research activities; (e) motivation; (f) prestige of the graduate school attended; and (g) total quantity performance. All of the above inde pendent variables have been found to be causing significant variations in the dependent variable—quality research performance. Last, the verification of the Ortega Hypothesis brought in the apparently contradictory observation that many important contributions in science came from non-diligent, average scientists who even produce less in quantity.

Chapter 38. Performance of Scientific Research, Experimental Design, and Technological Work

Chapter 38. Performance of Scientific Research, Experimental Design, and Technological Work

Further thoughts on diversity and adaptability in Australian science policy

For more than 50 years the government of Australia has been connected with the performance of scientific research and development, and in all that time there has been but one review of the entire system. Official reviews of particular sectors of governmental research have been carried out in the past, and these have usually resulted in organisational changes. When, for example, the Institute for Science and Industry became the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in 1926, 1 and this, in turn, became the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in 1949, 2 it was a result of official reviews of the operations of Australia's main scientific research organisation. The Defence Science and Technology Organization, too, has been subjected to official review and most of the recommended changes have been put into effect.3 It was not until 1975, however, that a comprehensive review of the whole range of governmental research was thought to be necessary; it was carried out by the Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration,4 appointed by the Labor Government in 1974 and engaged at the time in the fullest examination of the Australian public service since its foundation. The deterioration of morale and the widespread sense of frustration evident in the submissions it had received from scientists employed in government, except those employed in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, prompted the Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration to undertake this review, and it appointed a science task force to assist it in making its recommendations. The task force was to review the existing organisation of scientific research and of scientific services in government, to suggest appropriate institutional and managerial arrangements for research and service activities, to assess the adequacy of present arrangements for determining conditions of employment and careers for scientific and quasi-scientific staff, and to suggest desirable changes. The report of the task force was presented to the Royal Commission

SCIENTIFIC AND METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF PROVIDING THE INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR PROGRAMMING RESEARCH IN APS OF UKRAINE

Development of modern information infrastructure for research in the APS of Ukraine is a pressing problem in the information society and it’s transition to a knowledge society. The purpose of the article is to define the theoretical foundations based approach and methodology for creating an information system "Planning Research at the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine based on the Internet". The materials of the paper contain the results of a study conducted in the performance of scientific research "Scientific and methodological support of information system programming research at the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine on the basis of the Internet», №s.r. 0109U002139.

A Research Institute for New Zealand

UNDER the will of the late Thomas Cawthorn, of Nelson, New Zealand, the sum of 240,000l.- was left for the founding of a technical institute. The trustees were unanimous in desiring that the Cawthorn Institute should be a research institution, and appointed a private commission of scientific men to advise as to the best method of procedure. The commission consisted of Sir J. C. Wilson, President of the N.Z. Board of Agriculture, Profs. Benham, Easterfield, Marshall, and Worley, and Dr. Leonard Cockayne. At the request of the trustees, the commissioners have consented to become an honorary advisory board. The main recommendations of the commission have been adopted by the trustees. The chief work of the institute is to be “instruction in and performance of scientific research; such research to be definitely related to the industries of Nelson and of the Dominion.”