Publication Incentive Program
In collaboration with the Bionic Ear Institute, The Department of Otolaryngology administers a Publication Incentive Program, which aims to encourage the publication of research, with additional incentive provided to publish in highly-ranked journals within the relevant field. The program runs each July to the following June.
Who developed the program?
The current program was developed in 2007 by the Department’s Research Committee after extensive consultation with Department and BEI staff. Although there are aspects which may advantage/disadvantage particular groups or individuals, it is a compromise approach which was required to cater for the diversity of researchers and opinions within the Department and the BEI.
Who/what receives an award?Each eligible publication receives a financial award, not individual authors. Eligible publications are journal articles, books, and book chapters published in the relevant 12 month period, with the author affiliation listing including the Department of Otolaryngology at The University of Melbourne and/or The Bionic Ear Institute. A journal article can only be included if a full peer-review process was completed in which constructive comment on the manuscript was provided. Published proceedings are not eligible. Items currently “in press” are not included as they will be covered in the subsequent year’s program.
Who calculates the awards?Each year a list of the publications in the relevant period by Department and/or BEI staff is collated. The July 2007/June 2008 list was collated by the BEI Information Resource Officer, Aimee Clague. Each publication is assigned to one of 3 research fields: Physiology/Neuroscience, Speech Processing/Engineering, and Audiology/Speech Pathology. The list is circulated to give staff the opportunity to add publications or change the research field of their publication. The collator of the list then determines the award to be given to each publication.
How is the size of each award calculated?Points are awarded to journal articles as per the following, with additional points allocated to publications in higher-ranking journals to provide a further reward for publishing in selected journals having a particularly high standing in each field:
- Journal article in top 5% of journals in specified field = 3points
- Journal article in top 10% (but not top 5%) of journals in specified field = 2.5 points
- Journal article in top 25% (but not top 10%) of journals in specified field = 2 points
- Journal article in any other journal = 1 point
Points are awarded to books or book chapters as per the following:
- Book = 5 points
- Book chapter = 1 point
A sum of $200 is then awarded for each point received. For example, a journal article published in The American Journal of Pathology, which is in the top 5% of journals in the field, would be allocated 3 points, which translates to an award of $600.
How is the ranking of a journal determined?The rankings of the journals in the fields of Physiology/Neuroscience and Speech Processing/Engineering are based on impact factors. The rankings of the journals in the field of Audiology/Speech Pathology are based on the opinion of senior staff in the precinct, given that many high quality Audiology and Speech Pathology journals have a small, specialised readership and have a relatively low, or no, impact factor.
How can the award be spent?The decision on how to spend the money must be made by the authors of the publication as a group, given that the award is to the publication, not any individual author. Money should be spent to support research activities, such as conference attendance or equipment.
How do I know if I am eligible for an award?If you were a co-author on a publication in the relevant 12-month period you are eligible, along with your co-authors, for the financial award allocated to that paper. However, it is up to you and your co-authors to claim the award.
How can the award be claimed?Department of Otolaryngology staff should follow these steps to claim an award:
1. When the publication authors have decided how the funds will be spent, please notify the Finance and Resource Manager, Cathy Lawrence by e-mail.
2. Fourteen days notice is the minimum time needed to access and process funds to be used by award recipients
a. In the case of an equipment purchase, at least three quotes should accompany the e-mail which states the item and selected provider (except in instances where one company has a monopoly on the item)
b. Conference or travel bookings will not be made less than 14 days ahead of the date of travel or attendance
What if some of my co-authors are from the Bionic Ear Institute?If there authors from both the Department and the BEI, then the award will be prorated. Consider the example of three authors from the Department and one author from the BEI on a publication which was awarded $400. In this case the three Departmental staff need to agree on how to spend $300, and to claim this from the Department. The claiming and spending of the remaining $100 (to be provided by the BEI) is the responsibility of the fourth author.