The productivity of British, American and Nigerian chemists compared

Abstract

The number of publications produced by Professors and by Readers plus Senior Lecturers in the UK is compared with Professors and Associate Professors in the USA for the period of 1980–1991. No significant difference was found between the overall samples, though the UK Readers/SLs produced significantly more than the American Associate Professors. British chemists publish in a wider range of journals than the Americans, 72% of whose publications are in American journals. The productivity of the British sample is also compared with Nigerian chemists. The Nigerians’ productivity was about a sixth of the British sample. Some evidence was found that adverse political and economic conditions had affected the Nigerians’ productivity in the period 1980–1991.