The production of science in Africa: an analysis of publications in the science disciplines, 2000–2015

The importance of science in Africa has been gaining the interest of scholars and policymakers alike who find that the relationship between science and development is getting stronger than ever. Science in Africa continues to find its own place in the global world of science. However, there have not been any attempts in recent years to study the production of science in all African countries taken as a whole. In this bibliometric study, science in Africa is analyzed using the publications African countries have produced in the last 15 years i.e. from 2000 to 2015. It is not only the number of publications but also the research areas which are of great importance. Not many recent studies have examined the publication productivity of all African countries. The analysis undertaken here shows that a few countries, namely, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria and Algeria are the leading countries. These produced the highest number of publications during 2000–2015. At the same time, some of the weakest countries in Africa have strengths in specific research areas and are thus able to contribute to knowledge production in those areas. The findings presented in the paper suggest the implications for development in Africa and the measures which could be taken.     

A scientometric analysis of social media research (2004–2011)

To better understand the rapidly growing social media research domain, this study presents the findings of a scientometric analysis of the corresponding literature. We conducted a research productivity analysis and citation analysis of individuals, institutions, and countries based on 610 peer-reviewed social media articles published in journals and conference proceedings between October 2004 and December 2011. Results indicate that research productivity is exploding and that several leading authors, institutions, countries, and a small set of foundational papers have emerged. Based on the results—indicating that the social media domain displays limited diversity and is still heavily influenced by practitioners—the paper raises two fundamental challenges facing the social media domain and its future advancement, namely the lack of academic maturity and the Matthew Effect.     

Do types of collaboration change citation? A scientometric analysis of social science publications in South Africa

Scientometrics - Scientometric studies have, by and large, focused on the features of the hard sciences rather than the soft sciences. Prior research has been highly centered around natural science...     

Influence of the international collaboration in the field of metric studies of science and technology: the case of Mexico (1971–2018)

Scientometrics - We perform a bibliometric analysis of the research production and impact of Mexican scholars involved in the area of metric studies of science and technology in the period...     

Flow and social relationships of knowledge in science, technology and innovation: A patentometric study of UNICAMP’s technological production

The object is to identify the flux of information and get to know the socio-spatial and socioinstitutional dimensions of knowledge in the process of innovation, and to be able to visualize the impact and cognitive relationships of the sources of information used in the production of patents, as well as interactions and social cooperation that exists between the local innovative agents of The State University of Campinas. The research is of an exploratory nature with a case study design, in order to find out, by means of patentometric indicators, the flow and social relations characterized by cognitive and institutional aspects of local and regional knowledge based on the production of the Institution’s patents.     

The dynamics of the studies of China’s science,technology and innovation (STI): a bibliometric analysis of an emerging field

Scientometrics - Since 1978, alongside China’s rise as a leading country in science, technology and innovation (STI), the studies of the country’s STI have been emerging as a field...     

The Energy–Exergy–Entropy (or EEE) sequences in bibliometric assessment

Bibliometric research assessment has matured into a quantitative phase using more meaningful measures and analogies. In this paper, we propose a thermodynamic analogy and introduce what are called the energy, exergy and entropy terms associated with a bibliometric sequence. This can be displayed as time series (variation over time), or in event terms (variation as papers are published) and also in the form of phase diagrams (energy–exergy–entropy representations). It is exergy which is the most meaningful single number scalar indicator of a scientist’s performance while entropy then becomes a measure of the unevenness (disorder) of the publication portfolio.     

Mapping of dental science research in India: a scientometric analysis of India’s research output, 1999–2008

The study examines India’s performance based on its publication output in dental sciences during 1999–2008, based on several parameters, including the country annual average growth rate, global publication share & rank among 25 most productive countries of the world, national publication output and impact in terms of average citations per paper, international collaboration output and share and contribution of major collaborative partners, contribution and impact of select top 25 Indian institutions and select top 15 most productive authors, patterns of communication in national and international journals and characteristics of its 45 high cited papers. The study uses 10 years (1999–2008) publications data in dental sciences of India and other countries drawn from Scopus international multidisciplinary bibliographical database.     

The state of iron in natural zeolites: A Mössbauer study

The state of iron in natural zeolites is an important feature for the practical applications of these materials. A Mössbauer study, complemented with other methods, of iron-containing zeolitic rocks from several countries (Mexico, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and the USSR) was developed. It has been determined that iron is located as high spin Fe³⁺ in framework tetrahedral sites, in extraframework octahedral sites as free Fe(H₂O)₆³⁺, and as high spin Fe²⁺ in octahedral coordination in extraframework sites or in another aluminosilicate associated with the zeolite. Iron is also located in magnetite contained in the zeolite rocks.     

China’s rising leadership in science and technology: quantitative and qualitative indicators

China has a long and proud history of world leadership in science and technology, but in the past two centuries it has experienced a period of instability that has challenged that leadership. However, since its political consolidation in the middle part of the 20th Century and its subsequent economic reforms, China’s rise in science has been meteoric. This rise was first detected by the scientometric community through its indicators, but it has now become obvious. Indeed in 2017 the question, “Will China come to lead world science?” was becoming to some, “Does China already lead world science?” This paper tries to make the case that the answer is “yes” (or at least “soon”)—but the answer depends on which metrics one considers. China already leads many countries in some measures of GDP, scientific paper production, researchers, plus high technology manufacturing and exports. China also recently passed the European Union in R&D investment. Even in some of those indicators where China has not yet taken the lead, reasonable forecasts predict that it soon will. However, there are some indicators where China is still far behind. For example while rising, it still lags the U.S. and EU in citations in Western publications, and will take years to catch up. Here, these quantitative measures are supplemented by qualitative ones from WTEC assessments and by survey results of scientists and the public, which present a more nuanced conclusion. While Chinese leadership may be difficult for Westerners to accept, it can be viewed as China merely regaining its historical position of leadership in science and technology.     

Mapping of nanoscience and nanotechnology research in India: a scientometric analysis, 1990–2009

This paper analyses the growth pattern of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology literature in India during 1990–2009 (20 years). The Scopus international multidisciplinary bibliographical database has been used to identify the Indian contributions on the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The study measures the performance based on several parameters, country annual growth rate, authorship pattern, collaborative index, collaborative coefficient, modified collaborative coefficient, subject profile, etc. Further the study examines national publication output and impact in terms of average citations per paper, international collaboration output and share, contribution and impact of Indian Institutions and impact of Indian journals.     

Status of India in science and technology as reflected in its publication output in the Scopus international database, 1996–2006

This paper seeks to provide current indicators on Indian science and technology for measuring the country’s progress in research. The study uses for the purpose 11 years publications data on India and top 20 productive countries as drawn from the Scopus database for the period 1996 to 2006. The study examines country performance on several measures including country publication share in the world research output, country publication share in various subjects in the national context and in the global context, patterns of research communication in core Indian domestic and international journals, geographical distribution of publications, share of international collaborative papers at the national level as well as across subjects and characteristics of high productivity institutions, scientists and cited papers. The paper also compares the similarity of Indian research profile with top 20 productive countries. The findings of the study should be of special significance to the planners & policy-makers as they have implications for the long term S&T planning of the country.     

International collaboration in scientific publishing: the case of West Africa (2001–2010)

Bibliographic data of publications indexed in Web of Science with at least one (co-)author affiliated to any of the 15 West African countries and published from 2001 to 2010 included are downloaded. Analyses focused one collaboration indicators especially intra regional collaboration, intra African collaboration and collaboration with the world. Results showed that the rate of papers with only one author is diminishing whereas the rate of papers with six and more authors is increasing. Nigeria is responsible for more than half the region’s total scientific output. The main African partner countries are South Africa (in the Southern Africa, Cameroon (in the Central Africa), Kenya and Tanzania (in the Eastern Africa). The main non African partner countries are France, USA and United Kingdom, which on their own contributed to over 63 % of the papers with a non West African address. Individual countries have higher international collaboration rate, except Nigeria. West African countries cooperated less with each other and less with African and developing countries than they did with developed ones. The study suggests national authorities to express in actions their commitment to allot at least 1 % of their GDP to science and technology funding. It also suggests regional integration institutions to encourage and fund research activities that involve several institutions from different West African countries in order to increase intra regional scientific cooperation.     

The impact of alcohol and road traffic policies on crash rates in Botswana, 2004–2011: A time-series analysis

In Botswana, increased development and motorization have brought increased road traffic-related death rates. Between 1981 and 2001, the road traffic-related death rate in Botswana more than tripled. The country has taken several steps over the last several years to address the growing burden of road traffic crashes and particularly to address the burden of alcohol-related crashes. This study examines the impact of the implementation of alcohol and road safety-related policies on crash rates, including overall crash rates, fatal crash rates, and single-vehicle nighttime fatal (SVNF) crash rates, in Botswana from 2004 to 2011. The overall crash rate declined significantly in June 2009 and June 2010, such that the overall crash rate from June 2010 to December 2011 was 22% lower than the overall crash rate from January 2004 to May 2009. Additionally, there were significant declines in average fatal crash and SVNF crash rates in early 2010. Botswana's recent crash rate reductions occurred during a time when aggressive policies and other activities (e.g., education, enforcement) were implemented to reduce alcohol consumption and improve road safety. While it is unclear which of the policies or activities contributed to these declines and to what extent, these reductions are likely the result of several, combined efforts.     

Composites in automotive applications–state of the art and prospects

Abstract

Increasing awareness of the potential of advanced composites for primary load bearing components and chassis parts in vehicle construction has led engineers worldwide to various projects, such as the Ford carbon car, the Auto 2000 programmes (Volkswagen), the Polimotor composite engine, etc., some of which are highlighted in this overview, including design and prototype manufacturing methods and test results. The obstacles to more widespread use of advanced composites in the automotive industry are discussed and the potential for exploiting their unique properties and possible directions for future research are indicated.

MST/784     

Relationship among research collaboration, number of documents and number of citations: a case study in Spanish computer science production in 2000–2009

This paper analyzes the relationship among research collaboration, number of documents and number of citations of computer science research activity. It analyzes the number of documents and citations and how they vary by number of authors. They are also analyzed (according to author set cardinality) under different circumstances, that is, when documents are written in different types of collaboration, when documents are published in different document types, when documents are published in different computer science subdisciplines, and, finally, when documents are published by journals with different impact factor quartiles. To investigate the above relationships, this paper analyzes the publications listed in the Web of Science and produced by active Spanish university professors between 2000 and 2009, working in the computer science field. Analyzing all documents, we show that the highest percentage of documents are published by three authors, whereas single-authored documents account for the lowest percentage. By number of citations, there is no positive association between the author cardinality and citation impact. Statistical tests show that documents written by two authors receive more citations per document and year than documents published by more authors. In contrast, results do not show statistically significant differences between documents published by two authors and one author. The research findings suggest that international collaboration results on average in publications with higher citation rates than national and institutional collaborations. We also find differences regarding citation rates between journals and conferences, across different computer science subdisciplines and journal quartiles as expected. Finally, our impression is that the collaborative level (number of authors per document) will increase in the coming years, and documents published by three or four authors will be the trend in computer science literature.     

The accidental risk assessment methodology for industries (ARAMIS)/layer of protection analysis (LOPA) methodology: A step forward towards convergent practices in risk assessment?

In the last ten years, layer of protection analysis (LOPA) emerged as a simplified form of quantitative risk assessment (QRA). The European Commission funded project Accidental Risk Assessment Methodology for Industries in the context of the Seveso 2 Directive (ARAMIS) has recently been completed. ARAMIS has several modules which give a consistent simplified approach to risk assessment which does not approach the complexity or expense of full QRA. LOPA is potentially a means of carrying out the assessment of barriers required in ARAMIS. This paper attempts to explain the principles of LOPA and the means by which it can be used within ARAMIS.     

The knowledge domain of the academy of international business studies (AIB) conferences: a longitudinal scientometric perspective for the years 2006–2011

Conferences play a major role for the development of scientific domains. While journal and article contributions in the field of international business (IB) are a general and well researched area of scientometric studies, conferences are not. The absence of a systematic assessment of international business conferences as a reference to the collective status of the Academy of International Business (AIB) community is astonishing. Whatever reasons are accountable for that fact, this paper starts to fill that gap. It establishes a knowledge network composed of the last six years AIB conferences. We collected all the contributions in full text with their abstracts and keywords from 2006 to 2011. All the data have been organized in a data system and we used the information-theoretic clustering method which allows different analytical views through the entire knowledge corpus. The results indicate significant statistical differences between topic modules and keyword threads of the yearly conferences. There are three keywords which dominate as a leitmotif between 2006 and 2011, but the detailed structure changes from conference to conference significantly.