Management is a critical factor for the performance of every organisation. Research management has thus become highly professionalised, with universities instituting systems, practices and structures to manage their research function. Universities also appoint high-level academic and administrative staff to coordinate, oversee and promote research activities to meet their research objectives. However, most universities in Uganda, Kyambogo, inclusive have not instituted functional research management. They still lack well-managed formal research teams, collaborations and partnerships, besides effective research training programmes, research monitoring, research ethical committees, journals and university press. This mixed-method study was, therefore, intended to investigate the effect of research management on research productivity at Kyambogo University. The study used self-administered questionnaires to collect quantitative data from 127 PhD-holding lecturers and interviews with seven key informers. The study applied structural equation modelling to analyse quantitative data and content thematic analysis for qualitative data. The results revealed weak research management in the university, and a positive and significant effect of research management on research productivity, with a Beta value of .402 and a P value of .000. The results imply that the near-absence of research management systems, practices and structures prevents lecturers from conducting research. The study thus recommended the institution of supportive research management systems, practices and structures in the university for increased research output among their academic staff.

In today’s competitive global higher education market, research productivity has become a dominant criterion for determining the university’s effectiveness. Besides, high-quality research benefits individual academics, their departments and institutions by raising their global rankings, recognition and prestige, with multiple accruing benefits. However, in a situation of low research output from Ugandan public universities, there is urgent need for increased organisational support to facilitate lecturers in conducting this cardinal university function. This mixed-methods study was, therefore, intended to evaluate the effect of the university research policy on lecturers’ research productivity in Kyambogo University, one of the biggest but relatively new public universities in Uganda. A correlational survey design guided the study using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A sample of 127 PhD-holding lecturers, three faculty deans, Directors of Quality Assurance and Human Resource, the University Bursar and the University Librarian participated in the study. Data collected using questionnaire and interviews were analysed using structural equation modelling for quantitative data while thematic content analysis was used for qualitative data to establish relationships between the variables. The findings revealed moderate policy support for research productivity with a mean value of 3.07, a positive and significant relationship between the variables with a beta value of .416 and a P-value of .000. The study recommended the formulation and implementation of favouring and supportive policies to increase lecturers’ research productivity in public universities. The findings will likely be used to inform university managers on generating practical policy interventions to boost research productivity among lecturers in public universities.