Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Pharmacy students’ perception and inclination toward scholarly research publications: A multinational study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
. Deepak Kumar Bandari 1
. Shazia Qasim Jamshed 2
. Vijay Kumar Chattu 3

1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Vaagdevi College of Pharmacy, Warangal, Telangana, India

2 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

3 Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Scholarly research experiences during student life can make pharmacy students
capable of reaching the pinnacle of triumph with scientific skills.
AIM: The aim of this study is to assess the perception of pharmacy students and their inclination
toward scholarly research publications.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross‑sectional web‑based survey was conducted among pharmacy
students across India, Malaysia, and Pakistan. A 21‑item questionnaire was distributed through
different social networking sites between July and September 2016. Descriptive and Chi‑square tests
were used to analyze the findings. A value of P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
RESULTS: Of 543 pharmacy students approached, 348 participants from India, Pakistan, and
Malaysia were included giving a response rate of 64%. The study comprises 48.5% of males and
51.4% of females, studying a bachelor of pharmacy (44.5%), and from private institutions (94%).
Nearly, three‑fourths (76.4%) of the students had no publications but showed high interest toward
original research (87.4%). Most of the participants cited the reasons to engage in the scholarly
publication is too advanced research/share findings (74.1%), and to improve writing and research
skills (73.6%). Further, a significant percentage of students agreed that contributing to the literature
during student life as a valuable experience and publishing will provide them with personal fulfilment.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that most of the pharmacy students had positive perceptions
toward scholarly research activities to advance research and improve their writing research skills.
We recommend the pharmacy schools to incorporate scholarly activities in the curriculum to embark
research‑inclusive career.

Keywords

Cross‑sectional study
perception
pharmacy students
publication
research
scholarly journals
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 8, Issue 10
October 2018
Pages 1-6

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