The Nexus Between Collaboration, The Internet and Productivity: An Empirical Study Of South African Science

Prior research has investigated the relationships between collaboration, connectivity and the publication productivity of scientists. Most of this research has been conducted in either the developed or developing countries where internet facility has been either well advanced or at the other end of the continuum. Investigations in countries that fall in between these two extremes are rare. Conducted among scientists and academics in South Africa, this study is aimed at filling this gap. Interviewing academics and scientists (n=204) from the sampled institutions, the paper presents details of how the above three variables are interfaced with each other in the South African scientific system which has become a strong contributor to science. The study also, from the policy point of view, brings out the features of scientific collaboration that exists in South Africa with its variations between the two sectors—academic and research.