Predicting publication success for biologists

Can one foresee whether young scientists will publish successfully during their careers? For academic biologists on four continents, we evaluated the effects of gender, native language, prestige of the institution at which they received their PhD, the date of their first publication (relative to the year of PhD completion), and their pre-PhD publication record as potential indicators of long-term publication success (10 years post-PhD). Pre-PhD publication success was the strongest correlate of long-term success. Gender, language, and the date of first publication had ancillary roles, with native English speakers, males, and those who published earlier in their career having minor advantages. Once these aspects were accounted for, university prestige had almost no discernable effect. We suggest that early publication success is vital for aspiring young scientists and that one of the easiest ways to identify rising stars is simply to find those who have published early and often.William F. Laurance, D. Carolina Useche, Susan G. Laurance, and Corey J. A. Bradsha

The Vermont Family Based Approach in Primary Care Pediatrics: Effects on Children’s and Parents’ Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Parents’ Health-Related Quality of Life

This randomized controlled trial tested the Vermont Family Based Approach (VFBA) in primary care pediatrics. The VFBA is a model of healthcare delivery that shifts the focus from the individual to the family, emphasizes emotional and behavioral health, and uses evidence-based health promotion/prevention along with the treatment of emotional and behavioral problems. Participants were 81 families of 3–15-year-olds. For children, the VFBA was associated with greater reductions than the Control condition on the Child Behavior Checklist Emotionally Reactive, Withdrawn, Sleep Problems, Aggressive Behavior and Total Problems scales. For parents, the VFBA was associated with greater reductions than the Control condition on the Adult Self-Report Anxious/Depressed, Rule-Breaking Behavior, Internalizing Problems and Total Problems scales. The VFBA was also associated with greater improvement than the Control condition in the parents’ health-related quality of life, as indicated by all scales of the Medical Outcomes Study Health Survey