In South Africa, writing and publishing scientific articles is an important activity of academic life. It not only enhances the academic status and profile of the author and his or her institution, but also contributes towards the subsidy transfers of the Department of Higher Education and Training to universities. Furthermore, academic promotion is increasingly subject to a strong track record of research publications. Most importantly, academic publishing is the primary vehicle for the advancement of scientific knowledge required to enhance the quality of life of the society and also to strengthen the economy. Therefore, the government introduced the Policy and Procedures for the Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education Institutions, 2003, as a tool to sustain and encourage research productivity in order to increase research output. However, despite the compelling advantages of academic publishing, research outputs of South African universities are very low and are largely contributed by a small number of academics. This dissertation set out to critically examine the implementation of the Policy and Procedures for the Measurement of Research Output of Public Higher Education Institutions, 2003, at the University of Pretoria and the University of Venda. The purpose of this study is to investigate the policy implementation challenges that exist in both universities in the effort to effectively implement the research output policy. The qualitative research methodology was adopted towards the realisation of the aims and objectives of the study. The study employs the 5-C Protocol Model of Policy Implementation as a critical apparatus for analysing data acquired through case studies, field interviews and textual analysis of relevant books and documents. This will provide the researcher with critical aspects of the policy that are important for the implementation process. Furthermore, the study recommends possible solutions and strategies for addressing the implementation challenges that were identified in the analysis. / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / School of Public Management and Administration / unrestricted