A study of the interplay of knowledge sharing practices and publication productivity of early career academics in selected universities in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay that exists between knowledge sharing and the publication productivity of early-career academics (ECAs) in selected universities across Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The study population comprised 645 Early Career Academics (ECAs) drawn from three purposively selected universities. Data gathered from 179 ECAs across three universities using a structured questionnaire were analysed with descriptive statistics, and the hypothesis was then tested with correlation analysis. Findings revealed that a significant majority of ECAs (121, 69.6%) have produced 7-10 and above journal articles between 2019 and 2023, indicating a high level of publication in articles in scholarly journal. Meanwhile publications in conference papers and chapters in books were low. A majority of the respondents have positive perception towards knowledge sharing and also share knowledge to a high extent. It further indicated that academics share knowledge predominantly through face to face interaction. The challenges to knowledge sharing and research productivity of ECAs include: insufficient research facilities being the most significant challenge in terms of research productivity. Time constraints were the most significant challenge in terms of knowledge sharing. The correlation analysis reveals that knowledge sharing is positively and significantly related to research publication output of ECAs. The study finally concludes that knowledge sharing is important as it enhances the research and publication output, thus, university management should sustain and maintain KS for improved publication productivity of ECAs in universities understudy.