Research Articles

Science in South Africa: The dawn of a renaissance?

Anastassios Pouris
South African Journal of Science | Vol 108, No 7/8 | a1018 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajs.v108i7/8.1018 | © 2012 Anastassios Pouris | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 21 November 2011 | Published: 12 July 2012

About the author(s)

Anastassios Pouris, Institute for Technological Innovation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a scientometric analysis of South Africa’s research performance during the period 2000–2010. A multitude of government incentives were introduced during the period and their effects have appeared in the country’s research outputs. In contrast to earlier investigations, it was found that South Africa’s world share of publications is on the verge of reaching the highest contribution ever. South Africa improved its international ranking by two positions during 2000–2010 and was ranked 33rd in the world during 2010. It is argued that, provided the plan of the Minister of Science and Technology to increase the research and development expenditure in the country materialises, South Africa may be on the verge of a scientific renaissance.

Keywords

research; South Africa; scientometrics; bibliometrics; policy

Metrics

Total abstract views: 2794
Total article views: 4323

Reader Comments

Before posting a comment, read our privacy policy.

Post a comment (login required)

 

Crossref Citations

1. Producing information: communication and collaboration in the South African scientific community
Radhamany Sooryamoorthy
Information, Communication & Society  vol: 19  issue: 2  first page: 141  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1080/1369118X.2015.1047392

2. The contract between science and society: A South African case study
Michael Kahn
Science and Public Policy  vol: 46  issue: 1  first page: 116  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1093/scipol/scy042

3. Scientific networks in the production of knowledge in South Africa
Radhamany Sooryamoorthy
South African Journal of Science  vol: 112  issue: 5/6  first page: 3  year: 2016  
doi: 10.17159/sajs.2016/a0155

4. Academics as rent seekers: distorted incentives in higher education, with reference to the South African case
Seán M Muller
International Journal of Educational Development  vol: 52  first page: 58  year: 2017  
doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2016.11.004

5. National health research system in Malawi: dead, moribund, tepid or flourishing?
Joses Muthuri Kirigia, Damson D Kathyola, Adamson S Muula, Martin Matthew Okechukwu Ota
BMC Health Services Research  vol: 15  issue: 1  year: 2015  
doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-0796-1

6. The Shifting Sands of Academic Output: University of Cape Town Research Output in Education and Social Anthropology—1993–2013
Crain Soudien, Derek Gripper
Higher Education Policy  vol: 29  issue: 4  first page: 495  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1057/s41307-016-0011-y

7. Physics publication productivity in South African universities
Alan Peter Matthews
Scientometrics  vol: 95  issue: 1  first page: 69  year: 2013  
doi: 10.1007/s11192-012-0842-2

8. Scientific knowledge in South Africa: information trends, patterns and collaboration
Radhamany Sooryamoorthy
Scientometrics  vol: 119  issue: 3  first page: 1365  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1007/s11192-019-03096-x

9. Academic and Scientific Authorship Practices: A Survey Among South African Researchers
Elsie Breet, Jan Botha, Lyn Horn, Leslie Swartz
Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics  vol: 13  issue: 4  first page: 412  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1177/1556264618789253

10. Priorities Setting with Foresight in South Africa
Anastassios Pouris, Portia Raphasha
Foresight and STI Governance  vol: 9  issue: 3  first page: 66  year: 2015  
doi: 10.17323/1995-459X.2015.3.66.79

11. Modeling South African Accounting Academic Staff Teaching Rationalism Factors for the Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge
Zwelihle Wiseman Nzuza
Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies  vol: 8  issue: 5(J)  first page: 100  year: 2016  
doi: 10.22610/jebs.v8i5(J).1435

12. Increasing the value of health research in the WHO African Region beyond 2015—reflecting on the past, celebrating the present and building the future: a bibliometric analysis
Olalekan A Uthman, Charles Shey Wiysonge, Martin O Ota, Mark Nicol, Gregory D Hussey, Peter M Ndumbe, Bongani M Mayosi
BMJ Open  vol: 5  issue: 3  first page: e006340  year: 2015  
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006340

13. The production of science in Africa: an analysis of publications in the science disciplines, 2000–2015
Radhamany Sooryamoorthy
Scientometrics  vol: 115  issue: 1  first page: 317  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1007/s11192-018-2675-0

14. Publication productivity and collaboration of researchers in South Africa: new empirical evidence
Radhamany Sooryamoorthy
Scientometrics  vol: 98  issue: 1  first page: 531  year: 2014  
doi: 10.1007/s11192-013-0990-z

15. Academic entrepreneurship in South Africa: testing for entrepreneurial intentions
B. Urban, J. Chantson
The Journal of Technology Transfer  vol: 44  issue: 3  first page: 948  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1007/s10961-017-9639-z