Study: UCF Tops Production of Ergonomics and Human Factors Research Papers

The University of Central Florida and five of its researchers produced the most articles in the world on the topic of ergonomics and human factors over an 18-year span, according to a new study.

The study, published July 20, 2021 in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, examines the volume of research produced by universities around the globe on the topic of human factors from 2000-2018. Human factors blends psychology and engineering to study what influences human behavior in safety-critical situations; the design and layout of an airplane’s cockpit is one example.

The Department of Psychology is home to world-recognized human factors expert Pegasus Professor Peter Hancock, who works closely with the U.S. military. Hancock is the second most prolific author in the world on the topic of human factors, behind Professor Neville Stanton of the University of Southhampton in the United Kingdom.

Four other UCF faculty are among the top 20 most prolific authors: Florian Jentsch, Ph.D.; Gavriel Salvendy, Ph.D.; Waldemar Karwowski, Ph.D.; and Gerald Matthews, Ph.D.. The authors represent both psychology and industrial engineering.

“This not only highlights UCF inter- and cross-disciplinary strengths in EHFE, it also reaffirms the Human Factors & Cognitive Psychology Ph.D. program’s leading role in the field,” said Jentsch, currently chair of the Department of Psychology.

UCF easily outpaces other university in production, with 525 documents (2.21% of total documents), compared to its second-place competitor, North Carolina State University at 201 documents. George Mason University sits at third with 183 documents.