The Relation between Teaching and Research in Academia: A Systematic Review

One of the key challenges in higher education is how to link teaching to research. The main purpose of this study is to review the literature on the relation between teaching and research as the main functions of academia. To this end, systematic review was employed. After searching, screening and evaluating the papers published, 39 studies were selected as the sample of the study. The relevant studies in valid databases (Emerald, Sage, Springer, Science Direct, Magiran, SID and Noormags) in 2013-2018 timespan were thus identified and extracted. After analyzing their content, the research results were combined to answer the fundamental question of what factors would influence the link between teaching and research. According to the results obtained, the link between teaching and research in university is informed by current classroom activities, current processes in the structure of higher education system, existing infrastructure in higher education system, and university interaction with the environment. Therefore, it seems that establishing this link in the university focuses on three essential factors including curriculum, faculties and students that need to be addressed by educational policy makers.