RICHLAND, Wash. – A study published in the “Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism” ranked Robert Harrington, professor of hospitality and wine business management at Washington State University Tri-Cities, 30th in the world for productivity based on research impact in his field.
The study, “Assessing Faculty Productivity by Research Impact: Introducing Dp2 Index,” ranked hospitality scholars on four criteria: quality, quantity, consistency and longevity. Quality was measured by the number of citations the scholar’s work elicits. Quantity was measured by the number of publications the scholar produced. Consistency was rated by the number of publications without long “research gaps.” And longevity was determined by the number of citations and publications in their repertoire over an extended period.
“Assessing hospitality faculty research output has become a subject of research in its own right,” the study states. “Unfortunately, most of the currently available assessment instruments are limited in their ability to consider consistency, productivity, originality, and longevity of productivity in hospitality research. Thus, this article introduces a new research productivity index using secondary sources of data for evaluating faculty research productivity…”
Harrington ranked 30th on total number of citations, number of citations per publication and number of citations per publication per year, with 242, 7.6 and 0.76, respectively. He also ranked 14th in total number of publications with 32.
Harrington’s research specializes in a range of topics from studying the relationships between elements of food and drink that impact perceptions of match, to how Michelin chefs manage the innovation process, to the role of culinary or wine attributes in creating return visits by tourists.
“Researching aspects of the hospitality field is an important and exciting part of my work,” he said. “It also provides an opportunity to get students involved in looking at issues that will impact their careers, as well as involvement with leaders in the industry. I really love the integration of inquiry, learning and service to the industry tied to the hospitality research process.”
Harrington joined WSU Tri-Cities in Aug. 2015. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Culinary Science and Technology and author of “Food and Wine Pairing: A Sensory Experience.”
Contacts:
Robert Harrington, WSU Tri-Cities professor of hospitality and wine business management, 509-372-7487, rharrington@tricity.wsu.edu
Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan.murray@tricity.wsu.edu
