One of the most important conditions for the effectiveness of science is the motivation of academic staff of universities as key and direct producers of new knowledge. The purpose of the article was to substantiate the factors of efficiency in managing the publication activity of Russian universities. The nature and density of the relationship between the number of scientific publications and the level of citation of 19 leading countries in the world, including Russia, were determined by means of statistical analysis and the method of clusters. It has been empirically proven that the priority model for the development of publication activity should be an intensive model, which aims at improving the quality of scientific publications and the level of their citation. Moreover, a survey of 1573 young scientists (under the age of 39) and 2461 senior scientists from 14 universities in Russia was conducted. It investigated the factors of effective management of the publication activity at Russian universities. The results contribute to a better understanding on how Russian universities can activate and foster the flow of high-quality publication outputs by their researchers.

Purpose of the study: Justification of the factors of effectiveness in managing publication productivity on the example of Russian universities. Specifically, this research focuses on Russia’s universities’ important role in the publication productivity development in these universities. Methodology: The study’s methodological basis incorporated multivariate statistical analysis, clustering, and multifactor regression modeling. The methods used for aggregation and data transformation were graph theory and questionnaires. Main findings: This research proved that the quality, not quantity, of Russian university scientific publications, contributes to their increased citations, which appears to influence determining a useful model for university publication productivity management. It also established that the fundamental factors of effective Russian university publication productivity management are an increase in the number of young teachers with academic degrees and the popularization of science as a prestigious sphere of professional activity in Russia. Study applications: A reasonable system of factors may become the core for determining the priorities and unique mechanisms of transition from extensive to intensive development of publication productivity in Russian universities, taking into account individual characteristics of their research activities. This measure will prove beneficial to increasing the scientific potential of respective universities, which will, in turn, contribute to better ensuring the publication flow of quality research papers in universities. Study novelty/originality: This study’s originality lies in providing an empirical assessment of university publication productivity factors, which enabled a more precise method to determine the most reliable balance between scientific publications’ quality and quantity. This balance also resulted in increased citations and stimulated Russian universities’ scientific activity.