University leads SEC schools in graduate research publications

On a per capita basis, Mississippi State leads all other Southeastern Conference schools in the production of research publications by doctoral graduates in management education. Faculty here ranked 8th among the 12 doctoral-granting institutions.

According to a recent study co-authored by Dr. J.L. "Bert" Morrow of the College of Business and Industry, Mississippi State graduates produced 4.33 publications a year in six top management journals from 1990 to 1994, the specific period studied. University of Tennessee graduates were second with 3.83.

During this same time, Mississippi State management faculty members averaged .96 research publications a year in the same journals. Behind them were faculty at Vanderbilt University (.90), University of Mississippi (.59), University of Alabama (.33), and the University of Florida (.26).

The study focused on several factors affecting the development of students' research skills. Joining the assistant professor of management in conducting the survey were Drs. W. Glenn Rowe of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Robert D. Nixon of Tulane University. "We were interested in examining the relationship between the number of publications by a university's faculty and the number of publications by that university's doctoral students," Morrow said.

To get the most accurate picture, publication rates for both faculty and students were adjusted by the size of each university to produce a per capita publication rate, Morrow said. "This adjustment was necessary because larger universities have more faculty and graduates than smaller universities and, therefore, would be expected to have a greater number of publications."

While management doctoral education programs are clearly multifaceted, a key element in doctoral training is the development of the students' research skills, Morrow observed.

"In general, schools where faculty have higher research productivity also have graduates who have higher research productivity," he said. "However, some schools, Mississippi State included, seem to have a unique ability to produce graduates who are more productive, in terms of scholarly research productivity, than the faculty who trained them."

Morrow said a preliminary version of the study was presented earlier this year at the Academy of Management's annual meeting in Boston, Mass.