Researcher's experiences about their publication in ISI journals: A qualitative study in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: As one of the indicators of actual growth and scientific development capacity of countries, the importance of the research is steadily increasing. Knowing that success depends on the work done by researchers so identified identify these barriers and pave the way for one of the concerned authorities of their research.
METHODS: This qualitative study using analysis of the theme. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Participants include people who are experienced and knowledgeable in the field. Sampling was purposeful and continued until data saturation. The criteria of "reliability", "trustworthiness", "reliability" and "significant consolidation" of data were considered.
RESULTS: Data analysis led to the extraction of code 600, 5, and 35 issues were Zyrmvzv. Five topics including motivation, success factors, barriers and problems, reflections and strategies, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Discussion interest, innovation, the ability to apply research methods, specializes in the research literature and English language skills of researchers successfully in printing paper. Creating strong incentives to improve the material and spiritual encouragement and removal of obstacles, increase the amount of scientific publications and its opposite, although the force can cause increased production of scientific publications, but the negative consequences of such unhealthy competition and robbery also will follow. As a result, universities have to go through proper planning and management in the areas of research and teaching more responsible to pay it.

Introduction

Scientific collection and discovering new experiences are indicators that are differed from each generation to previous generations and create their fats. Surly the successful society that we know them as a developed society is debated to the scientific progress and researches. On other hand, due to various reasons, developing countries with a little difference are the customers of these ideas. During to the deconstruction of this process, in recent years, developing countries such as Iran due to the importance of the science and research in the independence and progress of the country and to raise the scientific level, they have focused strongly on research centers same as university. Because universities play a decisive role as the most important centers of research activities in each country, education is the base of the scientific development. Hence only through research, we can achieve the desired development and fit with the needs of society.[1]

On the other hand, what are described by the international scientific community as science production are valid documents in international databases such as Web of Science. If a researcher wants to record his work in this database, he should publish his research as an article or any other documents in journals which are in this source[2] because an article is the production of research work which is published in an international scientific journal in different ways and all scientists in the world use it.

In other words, when a scientific article is introduced internationally, it has produced science, so in the first step, the production of science appears in a scientific article and promotes it through its international magazine.[3]

To achieve this purpose the first step is to organize researches in society, right understanding about capabilities, exiting facilities, and finding strengths and weaknesses points of the research program. Failure recognition and awareness of the purposes in the research programs for decision makers, programmers, and policy-makers are the basic tools in the order they take necessary decisions through it and improve methods and increase efficiency. On the other hand, if we convert these difficulties to the experiences and share those with authors that they have not more experiences in research fields, we can achieve an effective step for research activities in our country.[4]

Of course, most people who have been active in research give information about effective factors and problems in this field.[5] Hence finding obstacles in the way of the scientific productions is very important. So far many quantitative researches are done about the factors and obstacles in the field of research and knowledge production but qualitative researches can fill the gap in this area because researchers have valuable experiences that they cannot be introduced by quantitative methods. Hence the aim of this study is to understand the researcher's experiences at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, in relation with the publication of articles in ISI database.

Research Method

This study was carried out in according to the qualitative method or thematic analysis. Due to the qualitative nature of this research for data collection, we used semi-structured interviews, In order that the interviewees express their thoughts and ideas with their own words. Study participants consisted of people who have enough experience in this field and are known as experts. Like officials, faculty members, research experts, and ethical experts in research, scholars whose articles (at least 5 articles) were published in journals that they indexed in the ISI database with organizational affiliation to the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

For this research, the purposive sampling method was used. The researcher's names were extracted from Web of Science database and in according to this information 21 interviews were conducted. The last three interviews were conducted to ensure adequate saturation of the information. The interviews were recorded by two recorders and the duration of the interviews varied between 17 and 60 min.

First we conducted some trial interviews to gain the necessary credibility from Supervisor's experiences and helping. Immediately after each interview we wrote all conversations and then typed and stored them on the computer. All of the interviews were written at 253 A4 pages. At this stage, to link the data, we recorded all marginal signs such as silence and shame.

First, we read the interviews and were reviewed several times so that the researchers found enough control of data. In next step, we coded all data into the semantic units. Semantic units were reviewed and then we wrote suitable code for each semantic unit.

In each of the interviews, we separated the topics from each other and then every topic was divided in to the sub-topic, and, therefore, all interview's topics and sub-topics were determined. We classify all codes, according to the conceptual and semantic similarities, and as possible as are compacted. All analysis units, sub-classes, and main-classes declined. Finally, we put information at the main-classes that are more general and conceptual, and then abstract themes and recommendations were introduced.[6] We considered the consent of the participants, ensured the confidentiality of the interview conditions and ethical considerations were performed.

Results

Study participants consisted of people who have enough experiences in this field and are known as experts. Like officials, faculty members, research experts and ethical experts in research, scholars who their articles (at least 5 articles) were published in journals that they indexed in the ISI database with organizational affiliation to the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. We analyzed data and formed 600 primary codes [Table 1]. According to the objectives, we obtained 5 topics and 35 sub-topics [Table 2].

Table 1

The researcher's experiences of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences about the publication of the articles in the ISI journals

Table 2

Topic and sub-topic classification of the researcher's experiences at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences about the publication of the articles in the ISI journal

Discussion and Conclusion

This study is for researcher's experiences at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences about the publication of the articles in the ISI journals. With regard to the purpose of this study, these experiences were classified to the five main topics: Motivations, success factors, obstacles, optimal approaches, and reflections.

The motivation is one of the main factors that it advances researchers to the study. According to the Fazlullahi, Darabi et al.; motivation and its strength depend on the incentives and rewards and also individual's interest.[78] The results of these studies are same as the current study findings. Shamooshi and Kushan declared that compulsion effects articles quantity, so this factor is also consistent with our findings.[9] Discover the success factors and correctly picking them together are same as puzzle pieces that in the research they can provide a good model. The importance of their proper implementation affects the quantity and quality of the products. Foroughi, Bnaccorsy Fank Zohour and Fekri, Tasviri Ghamsarii and Jahan Nama, argued that optimal usage of facilities and appropriate training human resources and necessary skills are the success factors to publish an article in ISI, hence these arguments are same as the current study findings.[110111213]

In addition to the overall existence, obstacles and difficulties are an integral part of any research. They are researched especially. They are important because if we remove or reduce them, the researcher success rate increase. Darabi, Bonaccorsi, Noori et al., weisinger and bellorin, Koorki, Sereshti and Kazemian and Daris, Roland and Oliver, Chen et al., Harderi et al. statements about problems such as lack of resources, sanctions, budgets, and mismanagement are consistent with our study.[81314151617181920]

Findings show that researcher seek the stimulus which they cause motivation. These reflections and reactions can also find in the people mind; such as personal curiosity and a sense of inner satisfaction after the reply and can also find in the environmental feedbacks. Keyvanara et al., Shomoosi and Kooshan, Funk and Wichian announced that material and spiritual rewards, reputation, and credibility as well as the plagiarism cases are main success factors, so these arguments are same as the current study findings.[591121]

One of the methods which lead to the elimination of obstacles, or improve conditions is the use of the expert experiences. The approaches which they offer are more effective because they sense problems. The base of these approaches can provide satisfaction and trust for researchers who are interested in doing research. Mr. Zahedani argued that lake of time and prolonged approval process of projects are some barriers to product scientific articles.[3] These findings are consistent with the findings of the present study so it means that time can effects success factors of the researchers. Furthermore, Mr. Abasspour noted to the time-consuming and cumbersome administrative procedures and regulations in the research process.[22] As a result, modification of the administrative procedures and change the bureaucratic process in the implementation parts of research are desirable approaches.

Koorki found in his study that extra occupation of the faculty members in education, teaching and treatment is one of the exciting obstacles in original research.[16] So compulsion in research negatively can affect the quality of the research. In the present study, removal of compulsions in research is as an optimal approach. According to the study results of the Ferrándiz, scientific partnerships of the governments in the scientific outputs can affect the quality of the research. One of the optimal approaches in research is the appropriate material support in proper time, which is consistent with our research findings.[2023]

With regard to the scientific achievements of our country and all aspects of the motivation, factors, obstacles, strategies, and reflections, we find that our study can lead to a practical article in the event that principles of proper research are trained in a standard format to scholars and enthusiasts and the necessary infrastructure, including adequate time and funding in this way also be performed by officials. Hence it is proposed that human resources serve as research assistants who can assist in all disciplines to expert researchers in order to minimize the obstacles. These assistants must be trained in interdisciplinary fields such as science logy and data, in order to effectively play a good role in research. In addition, we can promote encourage a system of the researcher which can greatly improve the quantity and quality of the articles.

Financial support and sponsorship

Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.