THE PRODUCTIVITY OF BRITISH, AMERICAN AND NIGERIAN CHEMISTS COMPARED

The number of publications produced by Professors and by Readers plus Senior Lecturers in the UK is compared with Professors and Associate P rofessors in the USA for the period of 1980-1991. No significant diffe rence was found between the overall samples, though the UK Readers/SLs produced significantly more than the American Associate Professors. B ritish chemists publish in a wider range of journals than the American s, 72% of whose publications are in American journals. The productivit y of the British sample is also compared with Nigerian chemists. The N igerians' productivity was about a sixth of the British sample. Some e vidence was found that adverse political and economic conditions had a ffected the Nigerians' productivity in the period 1980-1991.