Producing information: communication and collaboration in the South African scientific community

Abstract

Prior research has investigated the relationships between communication, collaboration and production of information/knowledge. Most of this research has been conducted either in developed countries where the internet facility is highly advanced or in developing countries with little internet access. Investigations in countries that fall in between these two extremes are rare. This study of respondents from higher education institutions and research institutes examines the relationship between collaboration and internet use, as well as productivity and internet use in the South African scientific system which has become a strong contributor to science in Africa.

Keywords:

• communication
• collaboration
• knowledge production
• science
• South Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

R. Sooryamoorthy is Professor of Sociology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. His works include Science in participatory development (Co-author, Zed Books) and Transforming science in South Africa (Palgrave Macmillan). [email: [email protected]]

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) [grant number FA2006042400002].