Exploratory analysis of the measurement of the results of training in the form of the post-doctoral stage of education: heterogeneity among broad fields of knowledge?

Abstract

The research presented in this article is characterized as a case study of an exploratory nature that aimed to map the influence of the post-doctoral stage upon the production of the professors engaged in the postgraduate programs of the University of São Paulo. In the study, which centered on broad fields of knowledge (Biological Sciences, Engineering, Exact Sciences, Earth Sciences and Health Sciences), the researchers sought to measure the variations of scientific production, before and after the post-doctoral stage. As part of broader research designed to study the influence of post-doctoral work on the productivity of the university's postgraduate system, this article specifically investigates whether there are significant differences in the variation of the Science and Technology (S&T) production depending on the broad field of knowledge in which the researcher is active. With a population of 86 PhDs that completed their post-doctoral studies by June 2003, the data surveyed indicate differences between the fields of knowledge in terms of absolute output (number of published articles). However, comparing the S&T output before and after post-doctoral training, the variation or increase that occurs in scientific production suggests that there are no significant differences, besides showing a relative homogeneity among the major fields of knowledge investigated.