The Development of a Social Network Model to Enhance Research Productivity of Faculty Members in Thai Research Universities

The objectives of this study were to (1) explore the status of research productivity in Thai research universities; (2) study social networks related to research productivity of faculty members in Thai research universities; and (3) develop a suitable social network model to enhance research productivity. This study employed mixed methods of research. The population consisted of faculty members from 9 research universities in Thailand who were the most prolific authors from 26 subject categories classified according to the Scopus Database. Purposive sampling was used to select 82 participants. The instruments used were the publication survey form, the co-authorship survey form and the semistructured in-depth interview guide. Data were collected from the Scopus database and quantitatively analyzed using a bibliometrics approach. In-depth interviews were qualitatively analyzed using an inductive content analysis. The research findings were (1) for research publications of Thailand there were 99,190 articles during 1921-2013. Most publications from Thailand were by faculty members from 9 research universities; (2) social networks of the most prolific authors from the 9 research universities were comprised of 13 related factors; (3) the suitable social network model to enhance research productivity was comprised of 14 types of co-authors, 7 factors regarding research collaboration and co-authorship, 4 success factors directly led to research productivity. The most important co-authors were faculty members from Thai universities, current students, alumni who became faculty members, and faculty members from foreign universi ties. The most important factors were the personalities of the faculty members of Thai research universities and personal relationships with their co-authors.