Research Productivity in Top-Ranked Schools in Psychology and Social Work

Abstract

Objectives:We sought the answer to one major research question-Does psychology have a more defined culture of research than social work? Methods: Using U.S. News and World Report 2012 and 2013 rankings, we compared psychology faculty (N ¼ 969) from their 25 top ranked programs with a controlled sample of social work faculty (N ¼ 970) in their respectively ranked programs. We conducted analyses and between-and within-group comparisons across each academic rank, namely assistant, associate, and full professor. Three metrics used in these analyses were the h-index, the age-weighted citation rate (AWCR), and the per-author AWCRpA developed by Harzing. This study represents the first of its kind within the social sciences to utilize the latter two metrics, which discern one's lifetime scholarship impact, controlling for both seniority and age. Results: Psychology faculty statistically outperformed social work faculty in every comparative category tested using all three metrics. These included both between each respective discipline and between each rank within each discipline. Particularly surprising was the predominance of the full professors in psychology performance over their social work counterparts. Conclusions: We make an empirical case offering the working hypothesis that a culture of research is embedded in psychology as a profession and academic discipline, and such a culture does not exist in social work. We hypothesize that a main element in developing any profession's scholarship capacity includes ongoing comprehensive research mentorship-a factor not readily apparent in social work academic units.

The Mythical Taboo on Race and Intelligence

“…Google Scholar lists 5,440 citations for Jensen (1969) alone. Their "h" indices range from 40 to 44, compared to a mean of 23 for full professor psychologists at top-ranked universities (see Holosko & Barner, 2016). In addition, it is difficult to reconcile the notion of hereditarian persecution with the oft-repeated claim by hereditarians that their position on race differences in intelligence is strongly and widely supported by others in the field (Cofnas, 2020, p. 132;Meisenberg, 2019, p. 308).…”

Citation Impact Factors Among Faculty in Canadian Social Work Programs

“…Over the past 30 years or so, there have been many significant changes which have occurred within North American universities. A major one is the overall institutional indoctrination of a decided corporate culture with increased accountability and outcomes (Holosko & Barner, 2014). Publication and scholarship standards and expectations have also changed, whereby (almost) all academics now must publish more, publish in the most highly ranked disciplinary journals, and have their work cited by others (Barner, Holosko, & Thyer, 2013).…”

“…is a direct function of the quantity and quality of a professor’s scholarly publications. These factors have essentially not changed in today’s universities (Holosko & Barner, 2014).…”

“…It has been challenging for the social work profession (among others) to develop academic cultures to enhance their research capacity (Barner, Holosko, Thyer, & King, 2015; Cantwell & Mathies, 2012; Holosko & Barner, 2014; McRoy, Flanzer, & Zlotnik, 2012). These difficulties in the United States have led to (a) the widening of the long-standing schism between social work researchers and practitioners, (b) the profession’s proclivity to appending research to practice rather indiscriminately rather than using an integrative evidence-informed approach, (c) precluding the conduct of research and evaluation in local agencies and organizations where social work is practiced, and (d) minimizing the importance of research to the profession overall (Barner et al, 2013).…”

“…Moreover, findings of recent social work publication studies have been rather critical of social work, noting that our standards of scholarship do not generally bode well for the profession (Barner et al, 2013; Hodge, Lacasse, & Benson, 2011; Holosko & Barner, 2014; Thyer & Polk, 1997). Further, in 2007, the National Association of Scholars (NAS) examined social work programs in the United States based on public universities with the largest fall enrollments.…”