Author Collaboration and Productivity at the University of Zambia, 2002-2007

Abstract

This paper is an informetric analysis of 220 papers published by academic faculty at the University of Zambia from 2002 to June 2007, downloaded from the Thomson Scientific database. The papers were analysed for authorship patterns and collaboration. The highest number of papers published in a  year was 63 in 2006. The average number of publications per year was 36.7, and the highest collaboration coefficient of 0.91 was found in the year 2004. The degree of collaboration varied from one discipline to another. Collaboration was more intensified in the applied sciences. Fifty-four countries collaborated with UNZA faculty in research. The top ten most collaborating countries were USA, England, Japan, Belgium, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Denmark, Norway, Australia, and Sweden. The results confirm that the patterns of collaboration between UNZA researchers and foreign researchers fit the Lotka Law of distribution. The study also established a positive relationship between author productivity and author collaboration. The more collaborative an author is, the more productive that author is. Finally, the study observed a growing collaboration between University of Zambia researchers and other researchers in the Southern African universities.