Abstract:
In South Africa, writing and publishing scientific articles is an important activity of
academic life. It not only enhances the academic status and profile of the author and
his or her institution, but also contributes towards the subsidy transfers of the
Department of Higher Education and Training to universities. Furthermore, academic
promotion is increasingly subject to a strong track record of research publications.
Most importantly, academic publishing is the primary vehicle for the advancement of
scientific knowledge required to enhance the quality of life of the society and also to
strengthen the economy. Therefore, the government introduced the Policy and
Procedures for the Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education
Institutions, 2003, as a tool to sustain and encourage research productivity in order
to increase research output. However, despite the compelling advantages of
academic publishing, research outputs of South African universities are very low and
are largely contributed by a small number of academics.
This dissertation set out to critically examine the implementation of the Policy and
Procedures for the Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education
Institutions, 2003, at the University of Pretoria and the University of Venda. The
purpose of this study is to investigate the policy implementation challenges that exist
in both universities in the effort to effectively implement the research output policy.
The qualitative research methodology was adopted towards the realisation of the
aims and objectives of the study. The study employs the 5-C Protocol Model of
Policy Implementation as a critical apparatus for analysing data acquired through
case studies, field interviews and textual analysis of relevant books and documents.
This will provide the researcher with critical aspects of the policy that are important
for the implementation process. Furthermore, the study recommends possible
solutions and strategies for addressing the implementation challenges that were
identified in the analysis.
