Exploring project selection behavior of academic scientists in India

Anju Chawla

Research Evaluation, 2007, vol. 16, issue 1, 35-45

Abstract: This study is based on retrospective accounts of a stratified sample of about 1,100 academic scien-tists in India on the criteria actually used by them in the choice of research projects. A basic objective is to examine the effects of contextual factors such as academic rank, institutional and disciplinary setting, and sources of research funds on the choice of research projects. A struc-tured questionnaire was used to tap the criteria for project selection. The items were factor-analyzed and five criteria were extracted — ex-pediency, curiosity, paradigm maturity, theme popularity and social utility. A series of univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to reveal the effects of contextual factors on the importance of these criteria in project selection. A significant finding is that there is no inevitable conflict between curiosity-driven and socially oriented criteria in research. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Date: 2007
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