Turning Postgraduate Students’ Research Into Publications

Abstract

The authors attempted to contact all 157 graduates from the University of Auckland’s Master’s in Public Health (MPH) program who completed theses from 1991 to 2005 about publications arising from their research. Of the 104 students contacted, 77 (74%) completed the questionnaire: 34 (45%) submitted a total of 46 articles, 31 (66%) of which were accepted or published. An expectation of publication and being supported financially were both associated with submission for publication. The most commonly reported barriers were lack of time (62%), lack of staff support (35%), and low confidence in ability to write (29%). For those regarding time as a barrier, work demands were commonly cited (90%). Sustained commitment from supervisors plus practical support (seminars, workshops, and cosupervision) was considered likely to be helpful. More effective supervisor–student engagement, funding, and setting an expectation of publication could increase MPH research outputs, but the additional supervisor workload must be realistic.