Empirical evidence on the effectiveness of incentive systems to promote research publication is limited, particularly within the context of international programs in Southeast Asia. This study thus evaluated the impact of a quality-based scoring and reward system on the number, quality, and collaborative characteristics of research publications at an international college in Thailand. Analysis of 482 journal publications from academic years 2020 to 2024 was performed using content analysis, descriptive statistics, trend analysis, and independent-sample mean difference testing. The incentive system categorized publications according to internationally and nationally recognized databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, and Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre (TCI), quality quartiles, and international collaboration as co-authors. The scoring ranged from 3 to 5 (good, very good, and excellent, respectively), corresponding to rewards of 30,000 to 200,000 THB, which are aligned with publication categories. The findings revealed a substantial increase in research productivity, rising from 71 publications in 2020 to 117 in 2024 (a 64.8% increase). Publications in Top 10% journals with international collaboration grew from none to 14. Scopus-indexed outputs expanded steadily, while non-Scopus publications declined, reaching zero in 2024. Additionally, results showed that international publications accounted for 88.6% of total outputs. High-quality publications (very good to excellent) increased continuously, and international collaboration rose markedly from 16 to 65 publications. The results indicated that an incentive system in the form of scoring and rewards played a significant role in enhancing high-quality research and strengthening international collaboration.

Authors:
Wachirawit Parunawin, Mahidol University, Thailand

About the Presenter(s)
Wachirawit Parunawin is a Research Administrator at Mahidol University International College. His research interests focus on research management systems, productivity assessment, and institutional reward frameworks.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule

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