Regional and international research collaboration and citation impact in selected sub-Saharan African countries in the period 2000 to 2019

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine and compares the extent and types of research collaboration and their citation impact in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa using co-authorship amongst countries as a proxy indicator. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports the findings of a bibliometric study of publications that were published by authors affiliated to Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, between 2000 and 2019 and indexed in the Web of Science’s (WoS) three citation indexes. The social network analysis technique was adopted to articulate collaborative partnerships between and amongst geographical regions. Correlational tests were conducted to gauge the relationship between the frequency and intensity of collaboration and the influence of collaboration on citation impact. The paper highlights the characteristics of country collaborations, the nature of collaboration and the corresponding research impact and relates the types of collaboration to citation impacts in each country. Findings The findings reveal that Nigeria and Kenya have had wider and stronger collaborations than Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania; the number of collaborating countries has continued to grow in the five countries’ research ecosystems; there are statistically significant relationships between collaboration and citation impact in each country; international collaboration has yielded the most number of citations, with the global North performing better than the South and regional countries; and that the number of citations for the countries more than doubles through research collaboration. Research limitations/implications Co-authorship of publications has been faulted but remains the most reliable proxy indicator of research collaboration. The study of the five countries, though depicting patterns of collaboration in many sub-Saharan African countries, cannot be generalised to the entire region. Practical implications The current study has policy implications as far as decisions on research collaboration are concerned. Sub-Saharan African countries and indeed the developing countries may consider re-examining their emphasis on international collaboration to the neglect of domestic and regional collaboration. While the study supports international collaboration, it nevertheless recommends a three-tier collaboration, wherein international collaboration is juxtaposed with domestic and/or regional collaboration. Originality/value The study uses social network analysis of country collaboration in developing countries. The intensity and frequency of collaboration are examined in relation to research impact.