Attitudes, Perceptions, and Barriers to Research and Publishing Among Research and Teaching Staff in a Nigerian Research Institute

Abstract

The economic development of any nation is centered on research. Unfortunately, research activities had suffered serious setbacks in tertiary research institutions in Nigeria. This study explores the attitudes, perceptions, and barriers to research and publishing among academic staff in the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology, (NILEST) Zaria, Nigeria. A structured self-administered questionnaire was distributed among 130 research and teaching staff at the various Directorates in NILEST. Data are presented in frequencies and percentages for questionnaire responses. Exactly 94% of the questionnaires were validated for the study, which included 81% males and 19% females. The participants were researchers (26%), lecturers (31%), technologists (20%), and instructors (22%). The majority of participants agreed that research is important for the institute (91%). A total of 81% believed that conducting research should be made mandatory for all academic staff. Only 44% self-reported to be part of ongoing research. Some of the obstacles reported to have prevented research activities included a lack of funding (72%), lack of professional mentorship (84%), and inadequate research facilities (89%). Participants without a single published paper constituted 57%. Some of the reasons given for not having any published papers were "no writing experience (96%), high publishing fee (80%), and long waiting period for peer review (97%)." The suggestions to improve research status by respondents included "provision of research grants/funds (93%), provision of Internet facilities (95%), mandatory publication (26%), and appropriate mentorship (34%)." The majority of the respondents believed that research is relevant; only a few were engaged in active research and published articles as evidence for it. It is, therefore, recommended that policymakers should devise strategies to focus on active research activities in order to achieve the desired research mandates and goals of institutions contributing to the development of the nation's economy.

Biomedical Research in Nigeria: Realities and Misconceptions

“…Yes, to a large extent, many results and claims about researches conducted in Nigeria today are exaggerated, however, it will be unfair not to acknowledge the genuine efforts of some researchers concerning the information they publish. It is also important to note that a large chunk of researches in Nigerian Universities and other institutions of higher learning are conducted during postgraduate training, which to a large extent are personally financed by the postgraduate students themselves with occasional support from some tutors [ 13 , 14 ]. In these circumstances, there can be no room for error.…”

“…This has hampered the image of Nigerian researchers and research institutions among their peers as successful publication of research brings attention to scholars and their institutions [ 23 ]. Recent studies have reported lack of funding, lack of research equipment and facilities, and inadequate training as some of the barriers that affect the conduct and publications of research findings among young researchers [ 14 ].…”

Perceptions, Challenges, and Suggestions for Improvement Research Production

“…Some of these perceptions include the importance of research in career advancement and in improving academics. This perception has been mentioned by other researchers such as (Bartel & Hagel, 2014;Okoduwa et al, 2018). Research publications are definitely important for career advancement such as academic promotion and for obtaining research awards.…”

“…Determination of the sample in this study using a saturated sample technique, meaning that the population is a sample. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from (Okoduwa et al, 2018). The questionnaire consists of 24 items that are divided into three parts, items (1-5) ask about perceptions of research publications, items (6-16) about challenges faced by lecturers in research production, and items from (17-24) about suggestions for increase research production.…”

Improving postgraduate nursing research output: A South African nursing science perspective

“…[9] Such programmes in all disciplines contribute greatly to the development of a nation and institutions of higher learning. [29]…”