EJ1341088
EJ1341088
EJ1341088
Corresponding Author:
Danilo V. Rogayan Jr.
College of Teacher Education, President Ramon Magsaysay State University
Nagbunga, San Marcelino, Zambales, 2207, Philippines
Email: danrogayan@prmsu.edu.ph
1. INTRODUCTION
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are mandated to impart knowledge, create new knowledge,
extend the created knowledge to the community, and develop products to uplift life quality. From
conceptualization to dissemination, research is one of the critical functions of universities and colleges to
help society progress and prosper. The creation of new knowledge and its dissemination through peer-
reviewed journals is a vital role of research communities that include universities, laboratories, and research
centers [1]. However, HEIs in the country still lags behind its neighboring universities in terms of research
productivity.
The world declaration on higher education for the 21st century [2] articulated that knowledge
creation, transmission, and application are the lifeblood of the knowledge-based economy, and HEIs are
among the primary actors tasked to generate, transmit, disseminate, and apply knowledge. The role of HEIs
to create and disseminate knowledge is critical in the fourth industrial revolution (FIRE) and the context of
volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, diverse, and disruptive (VUCAD2) world.
The Philippines commission on higher education (CHED) tags the universities as research and
development laboratories in building the human capital for the global economy [3], [4]. Based on the CHED
[5] data, the total number of HEIs in the Philippines is now 1,975, they are 112 state universities and colleges
(SUCs), 121 are local universities and colleges (LUCs), 1,729 private HEIs, and 13 special HEIs. The
research productivity of the Philippines HEIs has been increasing for the past years though it still lags behind
our neighboring countries in Southeast Asia [6].
The countries in Southeast Asia perform well in the global innovation index (GII) 2020, including
Singapore, which ranked 8th, Malaysia (33rd), Vietnam (42nd), and Thailand (44th). The Philippines, which
rose to rank 50th among the 131 economies, ranked in 80+ indicators grouped into innovation inputs and
outputs [7]. The respective ranking of the Philippines in the different pillars are the following: knowledge
and technology outputs (26th), business sophistication (29th), creative outputs (57th), infrastructure (63rd),
market sophistication (86th), human capital and research (86th), and institutions (91st). Based on these data,
the country still has to work on human capital and research, ranked below average.
According to the Scimago Institutions Ranking [8], the Philippines ranked sixth out of 10 member
states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region based on the April 2020 Scopus data.
The country has 38,024 documents in the Scopus database and 34,839 of which are citable. The country
recorded a total of 571,112 total citations with 55,765 self-citations. An average of 15.02 citations per
document was recorded with an h-index of 246.
The Duterte administration (2016–2022) implemented a mechanism of enhancing and improving
innovation under several programs: the collaborative research and development to leverage Philippines
economy program (CRADLE), the niche centers in the regions for R&D program (NICER), the R&D
leadership program (RDLead), and the business innovation through science and technology for industry
program. In accordance, the CHED has also reformulated the national higher education research agenda
(NHERA) III for 2019-2028. This agenda accentuates the unity of research with instruction and extension
based on the 21st-century Humboldtian education concept. The NHERA III cultivates the networks of
research excellence and research agenda with data-driven and comparative policy analysis [9]. The research
plan also highlights global competitiveness and international scholarly standards. It could serve as an enabler
of the evolution of bona fide research and innovation universities to revive the curiosity and creativity.
Several studies have been conducted in the Philippines regarding research productivity. These
studies have focused on the research productivity of basic education schools [10], [11], research productivity
of SUC leaders and their leadership orientation [12], research productivity of faculty [13], [14], implications
of research productivity in HEIs [15], research productivity in specific fields [1], [16]–[18], barriers to
research productivity [19]–[21], the role of government in research productivity of HEIs [22], building
research culture and improving scientific productivity [23]–[26], and the performance of the Philippines
scientific enterprise system [27].
The SUC leveling instrument measures the outcomes on key results area 2 (research capability and
output) in terms of: i) Research center; ii) Externally-funded research; iii) Completed research-based paper
published in the past three years in Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and CHED accredited journals; iv)
Research-based paper presented; v) Citations; and vi) Inventions. The present study, however, focused its
inquiry on the research productivity of a state university, including: i) Number of papers published in
refereed international journals such as Scopus and CHED accredited journals; ii) Number of faculty
researchers with publication to these journals; and iii) Total number of citations. Monitoring the research
productivity of an institution is very important to address the problems in terms of research and publications.
The SUC-respondent in this study envisions to be a progressive learner-centered research university
and be recognized in ASEAN region. Hence, the researchers are interested in evaluating the institution's
research productivity for the past five years (2016-2020) as baseline data for recommendatory policies to
improve the institution's research culture and measure how near the university from achieving its vision. In
particular, the study aimed at answering the following research questions: i) How many papers were
published in refereed international journals, Scopus-indexed journals, and CHED Accredited journals?; ii)
How many faculty researchers published their works in refereed international journals, Scopus-indexed
journals, and CHED Accredited journals?; iii) How many citations did the university have for the past five
years?; and iv) What are the most productive colleges in publishing their works in Scopus journal?
2. RESEARCH METHOD
The study adopted a descriptive research design utilizing document analysis. The source of
publication data was the university's Google Scholar profile, which can be accessed online. The researchers
also used the open-access Scopus preview database to obtain the publication data of the faculty research.
Evaluating the research productivity of a state university in Central Luzon, … (Danilo V. Rogayan, Jr.)
130 ISSN: 2252-8822
The publications that were not indexed in Google Scholar were manually entered by the researchers
based on the data obtained from Google. The researchers also coordinated with the office of the university
director for research and publications to countercheck the faculty researchers' publications. The setting up of
the Google Scholar profile account took three months to finalize since this involved manually searching and
correcting author-related and institution-related artifacts.
The researchers enabled the automatic updating of the university's Google Scholar to monitor new
articles published and new citations. A subscription email for this purpose was also enabled. After almost a
year of monitoring, the researchers have started documenting the number of publications per year and the
number of citations. The researchers used data matrices using Microsoft Excel to update the publication data
regularly.
For the Scopus publication, the researchers set up a Scopus profile account. They utilized the author
search option to view the publication data of faculty researchers who have published papers in Scopus-
indexed journals. For the CHED accredited journals, the researchers obtained a copy of CHED CMO 50,
series of 2017, which contains the CHED-JIP (journal incubation program) recognized journals for 2017 to
2019. The journal titles were manually checked in the data matrix. For ASEAN citation indexed journals
included in the Philippines association of state universities and colleges (PASUC) advisory No. 52, S. 2019
(guidelines in determining the reputability of journals for professorial accreditation under NBC No. 461), the
same manual process was done.
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Table 4. Number of faculty researchers who published their papers in refereed journals
Campus Refereed journals Scopus CHED accredited
A 4 2 1
B 2 2 0
C 4 0 0
D 31 4 5
E 0 0 0
F 15 2 2
G 0 0 0
Total 56 10 8
Evaluating the research productivity of a state university in Central Luzon, … (Danilo V. Rogayan, Jr.)
132 ISSN: 2252-8822
Moreover, Campus D had the most significant number of faculty researchers, followed by Campus
F. Faculty from Campus E and G have not yet published any paper in international refereed journals. Campus
D had the highest number of faculty who published their works in Scopus with four followed by Campus A,
B, and F with two researchers each. The results suggest that faculty researchers are distributed across the
seven campuses of the university. Young campuses such as Campus E and G must be encouraged to publish
their works in refereed journals.
3.7. Discussion
The study gauged the research productivity of a HEI in the Philippines. Research productivity
includes all research outputs in terms of published journal articles, copyrights and patents, conference
proceedings, funded research, citations, and other scholarly papers [28]. In terms of publication in
international refereed journals of the university, the publication is relatively high for the past five years.
However, for the year 2020, the university recorded a very low publication frequency. This may be due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, limiting the researchers to conduct studies and eventually publish them. However, this
figure is expected to rise further towards the end of the year due to papers still pending publication. HEIs are
perceived as fountainheads of great ideas, the center of creativity and innovations, and providers of
intelligent solutions to human problems besetting society [29]. Acknowledging research as a crucial element
of their responsibilities, faculty members of HEIs have constantly demonstrated research productivity and
other aspects that contribute to the procedure [12]. Suson et al. [20] averred that with the advent of
internationalization, research productivity within an HEI is significant for its survival and sustainable
development. Knowledge-based and innovation-driven development is likewise imperative.
The institution recorded very few publications in Scopus–indexed journals. The results are parallel
with Anito, Limjap, and Padagas [30], which revealed that their HEI-respondent registered only three Scopus
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papers within a 10-year period (2008-2017). This implies that while the institution consciously endeavors to
generate several studies, very few of these papers are published in refereed journals, including those indexed
in Scopus. The university must continue to promote among its faculty publications of journal articles to
refereed journals indexed in WoS, Scopus, ASEAN citation index, and those which are CHED-recognized. In
this way, the scientific productivity of Filipino scholars and researchers will be reflected through these
databases. Barrot [16] reiterated that to improve an educational institution's research performance, the
government needs to provide assistance such as funding, research facilities, and human resources.
As to journals recognized by the Philippines higher education commission and ASEAN citation
index (ACI), the university recorded a very low output. The results imply that more faculty must be
encouraged to publish their scholarly papers in the CHED-recognized journals. HEIs may also consider
subjecting their institutional journals for CHED accreditation and possible indexing to other citation
databases such as ACI. While research is etched in government policies on higher education, Philippines
HEIs need to introduce innovative research programs that could help accelerate the production and
publication of research [30], specifically in Scopus-indexed journals.
Only 56 researchers in the university were able to publish in international refereed journals. This
figure is relatively low against the total faculty population in the university (N=313). Seven major factors that
lead to low research productivity in select Philippines HEIs include having limited time, lack of training on
publication, fear of rejection, lack of interest, faculty laziness, limited funds, and lack of institutional support
[31]. The high research citations of the papers published by the institution is an indicator of high-quality
research publications. Because of the connection between research collaboration, publications, and citations,
higher learning institutions consider various methodologies to forge more collaboration [23].
The college of teacher education and college of engineering were considered as the most productive
colleges in publishing their scientific works to reputable journals. Faculty in tertiary educational institutions
are researchers and scholars who need to be in active engagement in instruction, research, and extension
works. They must also publish their scholarly works to get promotions and secure tenure. However, for
several faculty, the great demand for teaching time leaves very limited time to conduct research [15].
Assessing research productivity is a significant process because it identifies the available pool of
experts in an institution or country, determines the effectiveness and quality of their researchers, and
determines less explored topics [32]. Research productivity evaluation likewise serves as a baseline for
decisions regarding tenure and promotion, research grant allocations, higher education reform agenda, and
recently as an indicator of university quality [32], [33]. Moreover, Darmadji et al. [34] emphasized that HEIs
are mandated to enhance research as a pivotal element for a country's competitiveness.
4. CONCLUSION
The state university's research productivity is relatively high in terms of published papers in refereed
international journals from 2016 to 2020. However, the published papers in Scopus-indexed journals and
CHED accredited journals are relatively low. There is an average number of faculty researchers who have
published their works in reputable journals, but very few publications in the journals indexed in Scopus and
recognized by CHED. Furthermore, the university had a remarkable research citation record for the past five
years. The college of teacher education and college of engineering are the two most productive colleges in
terms of research publications in Scopus. The findings of this research have important implications for policy
and guidelines to improve research productivity and enhance the research culture in HEIs. A viable and
strong faculty and staff development program shall be developed, including the pursuit of advanced studies,
attendance to retooling programs, and participation in research capability-building activities. Relevant in-
house training and workshops on research conceptualization, proposal preparation and research publication
may be spearheaded to capacitate the faculty and staff to get more research funding and grants. Sustain the
conduct of in-house research evaluation to encourage faculty to present their ongoing and completed papers.
Likewise, allocate adequate funds for research presentations in reputable conferences, colloquia, and other
academic fora at regional to international levels.
Sound incentive mechanisms can be institutionalized to faculty members who engage in research
activities, specifically those who have published their papers in Scopus, WoS, and CHED recognized
journals. These incentives may be in the form of monetary reward, provision of equivalent teaching load
(ETL), and other relevant support. In this way, faculty researchers will be attracted to publish their papers in
different reputable publications. An annual awarding ceremony may be done to recognize outstanding
research projects/activities and researchers to boost the morale of the researchers in the university. The
university may consider the yearend assessment and evaluation of research outputs to ascertain the
congruence of the research outputs to the university's research agenda. The review of the university research
agenda may also be done at least every five years to include the current and emerging trends in research,
development, and innovation.
Evaluating the research productivity of a state university in Central Luzon, … (Danilo V. Rogayan, Jr.)
134 ISSN: 2252-8822
Establish linkages, partnerships, research networks with national and international organizations and
with other HEIs for mentoring purposes and for external research funding. Establish research centers on
engineering, teacher education, forestry, and technology development, to create more knowledge for the
benefit of the people and adopted communities. Encourage faculty researchers to create their researcher
profiles such as Google Scholar, ORCID, and ResearchGate, to widen the dissemination of their published
research for higher citations. Moreover, these profiles will also help future researchers easily check the
publication metrics of each researcher of the university and identify a pool of experts. Faculty who has
scientific publications may also be encouraged to apply for membership to scientific organizations such as
the DOST-National Research Council of the Philippines (NRCP) to widen their networks and get external
research grants. Products of research and development such as IEC materials, instructional tools, creative
works, policy manuals, and guidebooks may be submitted for copyright and patents.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to express their profound gratitude to the President Ramon Magsaysay State
University for allowing them to conduct the study and to the National Research Council of the Philippines
RDLIP for the financial support for publishing this work. The researchers likewise acknowledge the Office of
the Vice President for Research, Extension, Training & Production, and the Office of the University Director
for Research & Publications for the assistance in the data mining for this study.
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BIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORS
Evaluating the research productivity of a state university in Central Luzon, … (Danilo V. Rogayan, Jr.)