• Nasrin Shokrpour

  Author

• SMJ Mortazavi

  Author

• Z Hashemi

  Author

Scientific output in the form of publications is among the main indicators of scientific
development. Research output in Iran has dramatically increased in recent years and Iranian
universities have steadily attempted to promote their role in global science production over the
past years. Identifying different factors affecting the extent of contribution of each institution to
the production of science and technology is the first step for its sustainable scientific
development. This study aimed to determine the role of academic rank, work experience and
language barrier in faculty members’ contribution to science. This cross-sectional study was
performed on 54 and 28 faculty members from two universities in Iran. A general English
language proficiency test and a questionnaire were used to collect the data. No link was found
between English language proficiency and science production. Also, there was no relationship
between the existence or lack of outside university English education and the extent of science
production of the faculty members. Furthermore, the results obtained in this study clearly
showed a significant relationship between the academic rank of medical educators and the extent
of their contribution to science. It was concluded that while English language proficiency could
not be regarded as a reliable indicator of scientific output of the faculty members, academic rank
guarantees a considerable scientific output.

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