Research by Regional Psychiatrists, 1978–84

Abstract

An audit was undertaken of research by psychiatrists in Australia and New Zealand published in an accepted scientific journal during the seven-year period, 1978-84. The key analyses were limited to first authors only and identified 89 responsible for 372 scientific publications. Despite an increase in psychiatrists in the region there was no evidence of any increased research output during the seven years. While the distribution of researchers across the region was consistent with the overall distribution of psychiatrists, relatively strong and consistent differences in measures of quality and quantity of research output were demonstrated between geographical areas. The audit examined published research by topic, by publishing journal, and by the affiliation of the researcher. Several measures of research quality and productivity were internally and externally validated. Profiles are given of the average researcher and of those distinguished in terms of high productivity and high citation rates.