Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

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 under take a PhD degree.

Inhibitors and Promoters of Quality Research Outputs for Women in the Library and Information Science (LIS) Profession in Africa

“…The population group of the authors were mostly white (54%); followed by black/African (37%), Indian (6%) and Coloured (3%) (Ocholla, 2007). Similar results were reported by Murray (2014) in his / her study entitled: 'Predicting scientific research output at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.' In this study, data was collected between 2004to 2008.…”

“…Many studies agree that cross-border transition barriers experienced by women scientists (Case and Richley, 2013), contribute to many limiting factors in the production of quality research by women (GRC & UK Research and Innovation, 2019;Franco-Orozco & Franco-Orozco, 2018;NRF, South Africa, 2018;Jappelli, Nappi & Torrini, 2017;WHO, 2015;Murray, 2014). Notwithstanding all the initiatives made, including heightening women's participation in higher education, women are still under-represented in the research discipline (NRF, South Africa, 2018).…”

“…The adopted Case and Richley's (2013) model of post-doctoral transition zone, of providing strong research support during this phase, resonate well with these views. Murray (2014) reiterates that having a doctoral degree and working in a large school are associated with a significant impact on improving the research output of a publishing academic. He/she warns academic institutions that if they want to become research-focused universities, non-publishing academics need to be encouraged to obtain their doctoral degrees.…”

The Scientific Production of the Moroccan Researchers in Computer Science from 2007 to 2016: Analysis and Assessment

“…Murray's study [9] focuses on measuring the scientific productivity of the university with the aim of tracing the characteristics of teachers' scientific output .Also, evaluating the variation in the number of scientific publications of KwaZulu-Natal University in South Africa. This study applied statistical methods and equations on a sample of 249 faculty members.…”