This visualisation of global scientific collaborations was created by Olivier Beauschesne
Which young South African researcher has had the largest impact in world science? Which university department collaborates most with African research partners? These questions can be answered by applying “scientometrics”, a family of methods that quantify scientific research and its impacts.
Professor Robert Tijssen, international partner at the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (SciSTIP) and extraordinary professor at Stellenbosch University, says: “Basically, scientometrics can be applied to any feature of science that can be measured in a meaningful way: inputs, processes, outputs, and impacts. A high-profile section of scientometrics is on outputs of scientific research and scholarship. It collects its information from the content of publications that arise from research, publications with new ideas, data, theories, or breakthrough discoveries.”
Nowadays, science is often a co-operative effort, bringing together research teams consisting of collaborators around the world, he explains. “Their co-authored publications are evidence of successful co-operation.
“Science is also a cumulative activity. Scientific knowledge evolves because those publications are read and used by others. Research publications are building blocks, and the cross-references (‘citations’) between publications weave them into the global fabric of scientific knowledge.”
For this reason, it is not surprising that citation analysis is one of the most popular methods used in the scientometric toolbox. It enables the measurement and monitoring of domestic and international impacts of the South African science system, and compares it to developments in other countries — both within and across fields and subfields of science.
“All this applies to our individual universities, research institutes, and other knowledge-producing institutions. And their departments, faculties, networks, or other organisational units.
“Our scientometric data will open new doors to science for describing performance, assessment of policy initiatives, but also for celebrating success,” Tijssen says.
Although the subject of scientometrics might still be in an embryonic state in South Africa, the research and results that SciSTIP will be producing over the coming years will soon make their impact apparent, he says.