Assessing Research Productivity and Quality Across Disciplines in the School of Arts and Sciences at the Lebanese American University

Abstract

The academic performance of faculty members, as reflected by their research productivity and quality, is a crucial factor in determining aninstitution’s reputation and ranking. However, research productivity varies across academic disciplines and is influenced by multiple factors. In this study we investigate the impact of the academic discipline on research productivity and quality among faculty members in the School of Arts and Sciences at the Lebanese American University, and explore potential factors that could affect their research productivity. We measure research productivity and quality using indicators such as publication count, publication pattern preferences, and average number of citations per publication. Additionally, we assess the effects of individual, institutional and occasional factors on research productivity through a questionnaire distributed to faculty members. Our findings indicate that faculty members in hard disciplines tend to be more productive and have more cited works than their counterparts in soft disciplines, but both groups target top journals at similar rates. Furthermore, international collaboration is a significant predictor of advanced research productivity in hard disciplines. Additionally, both groups agree that teaching loads can limit the time available for research and that the research funding and equipment should be improved. Finally, we note the COVID-19 lockdown and the economic crisis in Lebanon have decreased research activity among faculty members in hard disciplines.