Awareness and Perception of the Researchers of Philippine Rice Research Institute in Nueva Ecija in the Philippines on the Implementation of New Policy on Research and Publication

Research plays an important role in the generation of new knowledge and in the dissemination of valuable information. Academicians and scientists across the nations use research to prove or disprove both common knowledge and emerging concepts in various fields of discipline. For the information to be more scholarly and for it to gain wider readership, completed research works are submitted for peer-review and publication in journals. In the field of public administration, researches serve as bases for policy reforms and in the management of an organization’s public affairs. The academes, research institutions, and private companies also consider research output and publication as tools to assess the performance of their staff. To further simplify the process and encourage compliance, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) introduced in 2012 a policy reform on research publication through the issuance of administrative orders and memorandum orders. These issuances in PhilRice encouraged the researchers of this study to determine the level of awareness and perception of the PhilRice researchers on the new policies. Survey questionnaires are distributed to 37 staff assigned in the different research divisions of PhilRice. Analysis of data suggests that ninety-seven percent is aware of the policy on publication since it was disseminated through various media (emails, meetings, and colleagues). While all of the respondents support the policy, ninety-two percent suggests that for it to be fully-realized, certain provisions must be amended. The results of the study could be a potential source of information for administrators and decision-makers on how research can be used to enhance individual and institutional transparency and accountability. It could also serve as a basis for the further improvement of policies, and lastly, as a guide for future researchers who are interested to pursue similar study on a different setting.