Exploring the relationship between research funding and social media: disciplinary analysis of the distribution of funding acknowledgements and Twitter mention in scientific publications

This article presents an exploratory analysis of which disciplines acknowledge more financial support (through funding acknowledgments - FA) and those whose publications attract more attention on Twitter. We argue that such combined approach can provide interesting information for both funding bodies and policy makers about how funding activities and the attention in social media of scientific research relate to each other

Has globalization strengthened South Korea's national research system?

노트 : The authors acknowledge a support from the SSK (Social Science Korea) Program funded by National Research Foundation of South Korea; NRF-2010-330-B00232

Factors affecting Knowledge Production, Diffusion and Utilisation at the University of Zambia School of Medicine

The aim of this paper was to explore the factors affecting knowledge production, diffusion and utilisation in a university environment taking the University of Zambia Medical School as a case of study. Methodologically, a survey of lecturers was carried out. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire; and analysed using MS Excel which was later presented in simple statistics of figures and graphs. The study established that knowledge production, diffusion and utilisation was affected by inadequate funding, time, interest, technology, availability of appropriate reading materials, incentives, internet research skills, heavy workload and lack of publication outlets. The study contributes to the understanding of the context of the factors that may play a negatively role in the knowledge production, diffusion and utilisation practices in Universities

بررسی تولید علم پژوهشگران ایرانی در زمینه ایدز: بر اساس داده‌های پایگاه اطلاعاتی وب علوم

مقدمه: هدف اصلی این پژوهش بررسی تولیدات علمی پژوهشگران ایرانی است که مقالات خود را پیرامون موضوع ایدز در مجلات و منابع دارای ضریب تأثیر نمایه شده در پایگاه وب علوم منتشر نمودند. روش کار: با استفاده از روش علم‌سنجی میزان انتشارات علمی تولید شده توسط پژوهشگران ایرانی در زمینه ایدز در پایگاه وب علوم(Web of Science( طی سال‌های 2000 تا 2010 مورد بررسی قرار گرفته‌است. 336 مدرکی که در تألیف آن‌ها حداقل یک نویسنده وابسته به سازمان‌های ایرانی مشارکت داشته‌اند شناسایی شد. یافته‌ها: روند تولیدات علمی پژوهشگران ایران از سیر صعودی با نرخ رشد سالیانه 30 درصد برخوردار بوده‌است. پژوهشگران ایرانی با همکارانی از 22 کشور جهان مشارکت علمی دارند و بیشترین هم تألیفی بین‌المللی با کشور آمریکا انجام گرفته‌است. دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران یک پنجم از تولیدات علمی را در میان سازمان‌های داخلی به خود اختصاص داده‌است. بیشترین تحقیقات انجام گرفته در ایران متعلق به زیر موضوع بیماری‌های عفونی است. 35 درصد مجلاتی که پژوهشگران ایرانی مقالات خود را درآن‌ها به چاپ رسانده‌اند متعلق به کشور آمریکا است، اما دراین میان مجلهHEPATITIS MONTHLY بیشترین مقالات پژوهشگران ایرانی را منتشر نموده‌است. بحث: سهم انتشارات ایران در مقابل انتشارات کشورهای جهان از حرکتی رو به جلو برخوردار بوده و هم تألیفی بین‌المللی در انتشارات پژوهشگران ایرانی قابل تقدیر است

User experience with cybercollaboration technologies

This study focused on evaluating the usability of technologies for cybercollaboration via determining if traditional usability testing methods capable of evaluating virtual team collaboration among professionals and scientists of different disciplines. Exploration of this research was conducted via online survey administered to 72 participants from varied professional and scientific disciplines. This study explored several themes related to computer mediated collaboration, collaboration in science in general, usability of collaboration technologies, and usability testing. Past research was divided on whether software tools or processes are more important to team success. This research suggests that both together are important. Further, usability of cybercollaboration technologies cannot be evaluated by traditional software usability testing methods because the completion of collaborative tasks is intimately related to group dynamics and other areas of group collaboration such as social and work-process norms cannot be impacted by improved software utility. Improved cybercollaborative group work can come from ensuring efficient communication and decision-making processes within a software toolset that is not distracting to natural group or individual work dynamics and that provides basic affordances for document and data sharing

Problems associated with authorship of scientific publications: coauthorship dissatisfaction index

Increasing levels of collaboration constitute one of the characteristics of science. However, the knowledge production system is based on a fundamental discordance: on the one hand, it is cooperative in nature, with links articulated through coauthorships, and on the other, the systems for assigning merit and distributing rewards function on an individual scale. This contradiction can give rise to dysfunction and mala praxis. This study analyzes researchers’ perceptions about the problems associated with authorship in scientific publications. We propose a coauthorship dissatisfaction index that measures the degree of dissatisfaction with the author order on the byline, ghost authors, and hyperauthorship. There are differences in this regard according to the branch of knowledge, status in the academic hierarchy, and sex. Using a sample of 2344 researchers, we observed an overall dissatisfaction rate of 12.4%. The highest rates were in the areas of Health Sciences and Social Sciences, in early-stage career academics, and in women. The cognizant authorities should take steps to regulate authorship, tailoring rules to each area of knowledge, with an eye toward reducing discrimination, gender bias, and abuse of authority

A study of the industry/university/government (UIG) collaborative project organisation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Research projects are a subset of project management that is gaining attention. Primarily driven by the need for innovation to boost economic growth. This need has brought with it an impetus for researchers to work together between enterprises and gain the benefits of cross-sector collaboration. The surge of interest has been attributed to the increased importance of collaboration between university, industry and government, theorized by Etzkowith and Levdesdorff (1995) and termed the Triple Helix. Their work led to the recognition that successful innovation depends upon the effective selection and management of the research project portfolio and the research partners. Studies in this area largely focus on how well the relationships are either working or not working, and there is little published literature that seeks to understand what is particular to each of these environments that causes difficulties when working together across the ‘cultural gap’ (Kirkland, 2010). Existing studies have identified several key differentiators that create barriers to effective collaboration. The present study aims to develop these areas into a more complete framework and contextualise the factors (in the present research called ‘differentiating themes’) for each of the three sectors. A multilevel approach was taken to understand the areas of difference between team member and key informant participant levels, while incorporating a project approach across the traditional project components of phases and constraints. The findings of this research are based on a thematic analysis of the current literature. Nine broad themes of: funding, project, leadership, teamwork, completion, scientific endeavor, intellectual property, ethics and career, were further divided into sixteen subthemes. These describe the main areas of difference – or tensions between the sectors involved in the collaboration. The data collection was guided by a data collection model developed for this study. The study also measured the perceived outcomes of the collaborative effort, using the Strategic Alliance Formative Assessment Rubric (SAFAR), developed by Gajda (2004), which seeks to capture growth in a collaboration over time, and is used to measure both the inputs and outputs of the collaboration. The survey yielded 94 responses. Semi-structured interviews focussed on how both context and individual experience influence the themes, using a representative sample of team members and key informants from each sector, with twenty interviews conducted in both New Zealand and Australia. New differentiating themes were identified through the interviews and added to the original framework: main themes of collaboration, project management method, communication, internationalism and project mishaps, and subthemes of trust, contract management, task segregation, profitability and influencing. The study explored the impact of the differentiating themes as either contributors or influencers to the collaboration, as well as their impact on pre-project, project, and post-project phases in a framework for use by all parties involved in the UIG. The study has added to our current understanding of this project type through the development of a more encompassing framework, taking in multiple themes within the UIG collaborative style project. It has produced findings that consider the influencing dynamics of the sectors and participants addressed, from the perspective of both collaboration and project level determinants including the importance of collaborative outcomes. The study highlights the formation of collaborations, ongoing influences, and the differences found which account for many of the barriers to both start-up and ongoing collaborative development. This study also highlights the need to develop strategies for collaboration including between sector strategies to advance the benefits of collaboration, performance measures that reward collaboration, and the necessity to understand and accommodate the outcomes needed by all participants. The study has also increased the understanding of the complexity of the processes involved in UIG collaboration