Assessment of Productivity and Quality of Publications Derived From Doctoral Theses and the Scientific Performance of Graduates at a Romanian Medical and Pharmacy University

Abstract

Objectives This study focuses on assessing the productivity and quality of publications resulting from doctoral research as well as the scientific performance of individual researchers at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. It analyzes scientific publication rates before, during, and after doctoral school. We analyzed the bibliometric indicators of publications indexed in the Web of Science database, which are derived from doctoral research and feature graduates as first authors, as well as the factors that might impact the research outcomes. Design and setting This investigation is a longitudinal observational study conducted from January to March 2023 at Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The study employed both descriptive and analytical research methods. The sample comprises public information about 169 doctoral (PhD) candidates who successfully completed the doctoral program between 2019 and 2021. We collected data from various public databases, including the university's website, the university library, and the Web of Science Core Collections. Main outcome measures and research productivity The primary outcome measures include gender, graduation years, qualification, teaching position, doctorate final grade, and Hirsch index (H-index). The productivity of research includes the total number of WoS-indexed publications, conference proceedings, and manuscripts in various databases. Research quality and visibility are represented by total citations, journal impact factors and journal rankings. Factors influencing research dissemination: The factors that influence research dissemination include the number of co-authors, financial support, and interdisciplinary/international collaborations. The publication timeline includes research output before, during, and after graduation. Results At the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, doctoral theses produced high-quality research; 332 (91%) of the publications were indexed in WoS journals with JIF, 136 (38%) of these publications were in top-ranked journals, and 298 (81%) of the publications received citations. Before they graduated, graduates also published the findings of other studies, and some of them continued publishing after graduation. The graduation qualification strongly correlated with the graduates' publications' productivity, impact, and visibility. The study found that financial support and international collaboration had a positive influence on the publication's visibility and quantity. Conclusions This study provides new quantitative and qualitative evidence that can enhance discussions regarding the assessment of academic performance and the mentoring of doctoral students. Our study identifies various factors that can influence the results of research.

Keywords: doctoral student; medical education and research; publication rate; scientific publication indicators; thesis.