Mapping research areas and collaboration in the College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa

Abstract

This paper examines the research output of the College of Human Sciences (CHS) at the University of South Africa (UNISA) with a view to determining the subjects or topics of research focus as well as the pattern and extent of research collaboration within the college. Using informetric approaches and more specifically the content analysis, the study employs various analytical technologies including UCINET for Windows, Microsoft Excel, Pajek, TI and TextStat to analyse data that was extracted from the University’s institutional research management system (IRMA). Results indicate that the research focus of the college is largely on HIV/AIDS; the most productive department was Christian Spirituality; the actual research output of the college is below the expected output; research is largely conducted singly as opposed to collaborative research; and that external research collaboration is common. Conclusions and recommendations for further research are provided.