Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Academic members of staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) are expected to publish in research journals that have been accredited by the South African based Department of Higher Education and Training. However, some members of staff have chosen to focus solely on the teaching aspect of their careers and as a result they have no publication record. In this study, a set of per annum productivity unit counts was calculated for every academic at UKZN. Because it is possible for a publishing academic to also record a zero count for a given year, it is necessary to develop an appropriate methodology that can distinguish this zero count from one that will always be recorded by a non-publishing academic. By fitting a zero-inflated Poisson model to the data, specific factors can be identified that separately drive the non-publishing and publishing processes at UKZN. In particular, having a PhD and working in a large school has a significant impact on improving the research output of a publishing academic. If UKZN wants to become a research-focused university, non-publishing academics should be encouraged to undertake a PhD degree.

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Main Author: Murray,Mike
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Academy of Science of South Africa 2014
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532014000200019
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spelling oai:scielo:S0038-235320140002000192014-05-21Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-NatalMurray,Mike publishing record zero inflation Poisson science faculty UKZN Academic members of staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) are expected to publish in research journals that have been accredited by the South African based Department of Higher Education and Training. However, some members of staff have chosen to focus solely on the teaching aspect of their careers and as a result they have no publication record. In this study, a set of per annum productivity unit counts was calculated for every academic at UKZN. Because it is possible for a publishing academic to also record a zero count for a given year, it is necessary to develop an appropriate methodology that can distinguish this zero count from one that will always be recorded by a non-publishing academic. By fitting a zero-inflated Poisson model to the data, specific factors can be identified that separately drive the non-publishing and publishing processes at UKZN. In particular, having a PhD and working in a large school has a significant impact on improving the research output of a publishing academic. If UKZN wants to become a research-focused university, non-publishing academics should be encouraged to undertake a PhD degree.Academy of Science of South AfricaSouth African Journal of Science v.110 n.3-4 20142014-02-01journal articletext/htmlhttp://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532014000200019en
institution SCIELO
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country Sudáfrica
countrycode ZA
component Revista
access En linea
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region África del Sur
libraryname SciELO
language English
format Digital
author Murray,Mike
spellingShingle Murray,Mike
Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
author_facet Murray,Mike
author_sort Murray,Mike
title Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
title_short Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
title_full Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
title_fullStr Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
title_full_unstemmed Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
title_sort predicting scientific research output at the university of kwazulu-natal
description Academic members of staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) are expected to publish in research journals that have been accredited by the South African based Department of Higher Education and Training. However, some members of staff have chosen to focus solely on the teaching aspect of their careers and as a result they have no publication record. In this study, a set of per annum productivity unit counts was calculated for every academic at UKZN. Because it is possible for a publishing academic to also record a zero count for a given year, it is necessary to develop an appropriate methodology that can distinguish this zero count from one that will always be recorded by a non-publishing academic. By fitting a zero-inflated Poisson model to the data, specific factors can be identified that separately drive the non-publishing and publishing processes at UKZN. In particular, having a PhD and working in a large school has a significant impact on improving the research output of a publishing academic. If UKZN wants to become a research-focused university, non-publishing academics should be encouraged to undertake a PhD degree.
publisher Academy of Science of South Africa
publishDate 2014
url http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532014000200019
work_keys_str_mv AT murraymike predictingscientificresearchoutputattheuniversityofkwazulunatal
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