Cross-sectional online survey of research productivity in young Japanese nursing faculty

Aim: To investigate the factors affecting the research productivity of young nursing faculty in Japan. Methods: An online survey targeting young nursing scholars (aged ≤39years) who were members of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science was conducted from October to November 2012. Of 1634 potential respondents, 648 completed the survey (39.7%), and 400 full-time faculty of a baccalaureate degree program were selected for the analysis. The numbers of English-language and Japanese publications in the past 3years were regressed onto personal characteristics, such as academic degree and type of university. Results: The mean numbers of publications in English and Japanese in the past 3years were 0.41 and 1.63, respectively. Holding a doctoral degree was significantly related to a higher number of publications in English and Japanese (e^β=5.78 and e^β=1.89, respectively). Working at a national university (e^β=2.15), having a research assistant (e^β=2.05), and the ability to read research articles in English (e^β=2.27) were significantly related to more English-language publications. Having the confidence to conduct quantitative research (e^β=1.67) was related to a larger number of Japanese publications. The lack of mentoring (e^β=0.97) and university workload (e^β=0.96) were associated with a lesser number of Japanese publications. Conclusion: The research productivity of young nursing faculty appeared to be quite low. Strategies to enhance research productivity in young nursing faculty, such as encouraging the achievement of a doctoral degree or enrichment of research resources, should be undertaken.