Changing patterns and trends in author co-authorship networks of HIV/AIDS research in Eastern and Southern Africa

Abstract

Social networks play an important role in the analysis and tracking of relationships between the participating entities (i.e. words, individuals, institutions, and countries, etc). Social networks are likely to play an even greater role now and in the future than before due to the complex nature of un-resolved issues such as HIV/AIDS. The proliferation of local and international conferences has opened up new avenues for ‘networking’, a term that is increasingly becoming common, amongst researchers. This study examines collaboration networks amongst HIV/AIDS researchers in Eastern and Southern Africa, aiming to provide a better understanding of the nature and composition HIV/ AIDS research networks; the changing patterns of the networks; and the geographic regions of study for each network. The paper ends by providing recommendations on some of the ways through which research collaboration and ‘networking’ in Africa can be promoted.