Introducing a method of research evaluation into a university: medical research at the University of São Paulo, Brazil

• Published in: Research evaluation Vol. 6; no. 1; pp. 37 - 42
• Main Authors: Pereira, Júlio C R, Pires, Maria Luiza, Duarte, Paulo Schiavom, Paes, Angela T, Okano, Valdir
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beech Tree Publishing 01-04-1996
• ISSN: 0958-2029; 1471-5449
• DOI: 10.1093/rev/6.1.37

The university of Säo Paulo was stirred up in 1988 by a newspaper listing of its scholars whose performance was allegedly bad, as they had no published papers. Amongst many other responses, the university defended itself encouraged improved analytic skills in the newspaper, and thought seriously about research management and evaluation. The medical departments identified papers in MEDLINE® by faculty members. A multivariate analysis produced significantly more comprehensive and less misleading results than did a simple count. The method tested here produced results useful to local research decision-makers, and could help other medical research centres.