Obstacles to Research and Publication in Zimbabwean Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study of the Research and Intellectual Expo

Abstract

The study was aimed at exploring the quantum and quality of research in higher education institutions (HEIs) in light of the stringent requirements for staff appointment, tenure and promotion. The case study method which falls within the qualitative research paradigm was employed. Documentary analysis was used to determine the trends in the number of articles submitted to the Research and Intellectual Expo (RIE) and those that are eventually published in the Journal of Zimbabwe studies from 2011 to 2014. In addition, interviews with 111 respondents (25 peer reviewers, 11 members of the Journal's editorial staff, 45 academics, 10 Research Directors and 20 members of the organising Committee) were performed for purposes of obtaining explanations and justifications for the trends obtained from the case study. Results indicate that although the number of articles submitted to the RIE had increased over the years (from 218 in 2011 to 498 in 2014), there are serious deficiencies in research and writing skills among academics in HEIs. However, variations in publication rates exist depending on academic field with those in the science-related disciplines producing better quality research articles than those in education, arts, humanities and social sciences. The major reasons for rejection of papers were poor research and writing skills as well as plagiarism. New forms of academic dishonesty namely: 'ghost' researches and unjustified multiple authorship were unearthed. The major challenge faced by the academics in conducting research was the pressure to publish in an environment characterised by high teaching loads and inadequate resources. The paper recommends collaboration by key stakeholders in imparting research and academic writing skills to and academics.

Obstacles to health care research projects at the University of Jordan: a cross-sectional survey

“…8 In a small study conducted in the Middle East and North Africa, the top barriers to conducting research were obtaining funding and lack of time. 17 Supporting institutions by making the process of obtaining funding easier is essential to enhance academic research not only in African institutions 18,19 but also in all developing countries. 20 Arab nations fare poorly in terms of medical research output and its broad impact: the 2013 Scimago Institutions Rankings reported that out of 2740 universities and research institutions worldwide, only 60 were from Arab countries; 12 clinical research receives much less funding than basic science research does even in high-income countries such as USA.…”

Evaluation of a quality assurance framework for promoting quality research, innovation and development in higher education institutions in Zimbabwe

“…Studies in Zimbabwe (Machawira 2010, Chetsanga & Muchenje 2012, Mashaah et al 2014, Garwe 2015 revealed five debilitating challenges leading to the decline in the quantity, quality, and contribution of research in HEIs. The first was the shortage of the requisite financial and material resources to support research and innovation development.…”

“…The final challenge regards the limited doctoral training in universities (Garwe 2015). Doctoral education and training in universities provide a pipeline of future academics and researchers, and where this pipeline is not adequate, it points towards a future of inadequate capacity to generate knowledge and innovation at levels commensurate with the country's socio-economic imperatives.…”

nstitutional structures for student-inclusivity in quality assurance promotion in higher education: The case of one university in Zimbabwe

“…Developing country universities are yet to attach the accurate premium on research where the focus is on teaching and there is a dearth of education on the publication process among institutions of higher learning (IHL). Garwe (2015) Kusure et al (2006) suggest few journals are locally available to publish articles hence students and lecturers have suffered lack of exposure to research and publication. Majoni (2014) blames low research output on unnecessarily high workloads and under funding by government, industry and IHLs.…”

“…The massification of higher education in Zimbabwe has precipitated challenges other than the economic meltdown that has dogged the country for almost three decades (Garwe 2015;Majoni 2014). Factors cited as having led to the deterioration of quality in higher education include (i) comparative lack of adequate investment in higher education, (ii) expansion of university student intakes and systems in general, (iii) diminishing government subsidies to higher education (HE) (iv) failure to balance widening and deepening access and the associated costs (Mhlanga 2008); (v) low salaries and poor working conditions leading to the brain drain especially in the mid-1990s through to 2010, (vi) the harsh political climate that led to persecution of teachers following the 2000 parliamentary elections, having allegedly supported opposition parties and (vi) archaic, primordial and anachronistic teaching and learning equipment.…”