Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST)

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Academics at three African universities on the perceived utilisation of their research
(HESA, 2018) Boshoff, N.; Esterhuyse, H.; Wachira-Mbui, D. N.; Owoaje, E. T.; Nyandwi, T.; Mutarindwa, S.
This article contributes to emerging knowledge on the utilisation of university research in sub-Saharan Africa. A survey was conducted comprising 463 academics at three African universities: the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), the University of Nairobi (Kenya) and the University of Rwanda. The study investigated the agreement between two measures of research utilisation and highlighted the types of research interactions associated with instances of perceived research utilisation, whilst taking into account the different categories of intended beneficiaries. The first measure, a single question, required the respondents to indicate to what extent the stated intended beneficiaries had utilised the research as planned. The second measure operationalised a stage model of research utilisation. Responses at the ‘upper end’ of both measures were labelled ‘true’ research utilisation. A percentage reduction in utilisation was observed when cross-tabulating the two measures – from 48 per cent who believed that research utilisation occurred to some extent (upper end of first measure), to 35 per cent who held the same opinion and who obtained above-average scores on the stage model of utilisation (upper end of second measure). For the subgroup at the upper end of both measures, the larger share of cases (54%) exemplified the instrumental utilisation of research. This subgroup was found to be involved in traditional academic research practices and participated in a number of outreach activities targeting non-academic audiences.
African academies of science as science advisers: The case of South Africa and Uganda
(2022-12) Ngila, Dorothy Mutheu; Boshoff, Nelius; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research and Technology (CREST)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In recent decades, science advising – the process that makes scientific evidence available to policy makers to aid decision making – has gained prominence. The prominence has been accompanied by a greater understanding of the types of advisers, the type of advice, the structuring of science advisory ecosystems in national and trans-boundary contexts, the principles of science advising, as well as the challenges and perspectives at the science-policy interface. Although there is growing scholarly contribution on the nature of science advising globally, the literature in the context of Africa is scant. Academies of science – defined as associations of scientists who come together to advance scientific excellence and serve their nations – can be largely categorised using three archetypes: the learned society, the adviser to society, and the manager of research. Increasingly, most academies have incorporated science advice as one of their mandates. They form an integral part of the science advisory ecosystem and provide formal science advice. Scholarly contributions on the nature and structure of science advising by academies of science do exist, primarily in Western nations. However, science advising by academies of science in Africa, where there are approximately 31 national academies, has not been widely documented. This study investigated the role of African academies as science advisers, with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) as institutional case studies. The study employed a qualitative embedded case study design with ASSAf and UNAS as the institutional case studies. Additionally, three embedded case studies that represented a type of science advisory mechanism by both academies, known as a consensus study, were selected to investigate the approaches of science advice and document pathways towards uptake. Documentary analysis and interviews were the main data collection methods. The study approached this investigation in four ways: (1) a discussion of the broader global context of academies of science, tracing the diverse types, roles, and structures of academies of science with a specific focus on what the study refers to as ‘parent academies’ (Royal Society of London, Academie des Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the Russian Academy of Sciences); (2) an analysis of ASSAf and UNAS as organisations and the external and internal factors that shape their institutional designs; (3) an analysis of two consensus studies that the academies had undertaken nationally and one consensus study where both had participated, all to understand the science advisory process and pathways towards uptake of science advice; and (4) a thematic interpretive discussion of the roles, institutional designs, and positioning of UNAS and ASSAf as science advisers within their national contexts. Six key themes emerged as findings from the study: (1) UNAS and ASSAf can be considered as ‘hidden’ organisations in the science advisory ecosystems of Uganda and South Africa; (2) both academies can be considered as agents to multiple principals; (3) both academies overstate the role of their Membership and Fellowship in their science advisory activities (in fact, there emerges other actors in executing these activities, together referred to as the ecosystem of human capabilities); (4) this ecosystem of human capabilities comes together to execute the process of science advising, which falls within the realm of formal science advising for academies of science, shaped by layered degrees of informality; (5) the consensus study process is a space for the ‘construction’ of various academy-stakeholder interactions that have the potential to be productive; and (6) a significant weakness in the internal organisation of dissemination, translation, and uptake activities at ASSAf and UNAS have impacted the potential for uptake of their consensus studies by decision makers. The study recommends the following for both ASSAf and UNAS: (1) guided by a deliberate stakeholder engagement strategy, they should invest in a concerted awareness raising, with a focus on target actors in the policy and scientific communities; (2) they should continue to harness the power and influence of the human capabilities’ ecosystem that enables science advising; (3) they should invest in review processes that further deepen the value of consensus studies; and (4) they should invest in deliberate dissemination, translation, and uptake activities to enhance the potential for uptake of advisory recommendations.
Beyond funding : acknowledgement patterns in biomedical, natural and social sciences
(Public Library of Science, 2017) Paul-Hus, Adele; Diaz-Faes, Adrian A.; Sainte-Marie, Maxime; Desrochers, Nadine; Costas, Rodrigo; Lariviere, Vincent
For the past 50 years, acknowledgments have been studied as important paratextual traces of research practices, collaboration, and infrastructure in science. Since 2008, funding acknowledgments have been indexed by Web of Science, supporting large-scale analyses of research funding. Applying advanced linguistic methods as well as Correspondence Analysis to more than one million acknowledgments from research articles and reviews published in 2015, this paper aims to go beyond funding disclosure and study the main types of contributions found in acknowledgments on a large scale and through disciplinary comparisons. Our analysis shows that technical support is more frequently acknowledged by scholars in Chemistry, Physics and Engineering. Earth and Space, Professional Fields, and Social Sciences are more likely to acknowledge contributions from colleagues, editors, and reviewers, while Biology acknowledgments put more emphasis on logistics and fieldworkrelated tasks. Conflicts of interest disclosures (or lack of thereof) are more frequently found in acknowledgments from Clinical Medicine, Health and, to a lesser extent, Psychology. These results demonstrate that acknowledgment practices truly do vary across disciplines and that this can lead to important further research beyond the sole interest in funding.
Commercialising intellectual property emanating from universities in the Western Cape, South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Stofberg, Jacques Francois; Mouton, Johann; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: University technology transfer and the effective commercialisation of intellectual property emanating from university campuses has become a topic of growing interest. University intellectual property assets have become products generating income streams and competitive advantages for its owners as intellectual property grows in stature in knowledge driven economies. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the concept of intellectual property and the importance of its effective commercialisation for SA universities. The research objectives were to define intellectual property, technological innovation, and technology transfer within a university setting and to develop a conceptual framework that would identify key dimensions representing the enabling environment for university technology transfer. These dimensions were then applied to multiple case studies conducted at SU, UCT, UWC and CPUT. The main research question inquires how effective these four universities have been in commercialising intellectual property assets via recognised technology transfer practices. Textual and numeric primary as well as secondary data were used in this study as part of an empirical ethnographic research design. The inquiry strategy uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research approaches in the four embedded case studies for describing and analysing existing data. Primary data were collected from the partaking universities by developing a qualitative survey questionnaire as research instrument which was used during in-person interviews to evaluate the effective use of employed technology transfer practices. The resultant overall research design is descriptive and evaluative in nature, using inductive reasoning. The findings reveal five major internal enablers which comprise the policy environment, institutional commitment, the legal milieu, the funding arena and human resources. Some academic interviewees as respondents in the case studies were critical in stating the support from their superiors were lacking the commitment expected from them when compared to the universities’ stated policy documents. A number of respondents to the interviews at the research intensive universities noted that TTO staff are not available to them as they are simply too busy and often overwhelmed by their workload to provide TT services to academic staff and students as inventors. Overall, respondents were satisfied with the level of service they receive from the university TTO. Although this is not a comparative study, the study discovered that the less research-intensive universities have a much shorter pipeline of new invention disclosures for novel technologies, as they have less funding available to direct to basic or applied research activities. It emerged from the literature and the study that university technology transfer is an intriguing and multi-faceted environment that requires dedicated staff with unique skills and management capabilities. The study highlights the single biggest factor affecting the rate of new invention disclosures, and ultimately the success rate of technology transfer commercialisation activities, as the total annual research and development spending at SA universities. The researcher found that without significant quality and quantity of research and development being conducted, little or no revenue streams can be expected from new inventions emanating from SA universities.
The contribution of the Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARFSA) to knowledge production and policy in the SADC water sector
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Elema, Nico Michiel; Mouton, Johann; Cloete, Thomas Eugene; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) has been adopted by member states in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as the process to best manage water resources, with research as a major component in the process. Moreover, it is increasingly a requirement for universities and research institutions to indicate the benefit of their research. With various universities and research institutions (and varying levels of resources) conducting water research in the SADC region, outputs from the Water Research Fund of Southern Africa (WARFSA) provides an opportunity to analyse the impact of such research, given the regional nature of the programme. Moreover, given that the WARFSA was implemented between 1999 and 2007, the time-lag provide an opportunity to analyse the contribution to knowledge production, and specifically the scientific (citation) impact and, given its mandate from the SADC ministers, policy uptake. However, as no mechanism was put in place to attribute and monitor economic, ecological and social benefits from the WARFSA, this was excluded from the study. Applying a mixed methods approach, various aspects relating to water research knowledge production and policy uptake of research were investigated, resulting in this thesis being divided into three parts. Part A framing the research project, Part B presenting a SADC water sectoral analysis and analysis of knowledge production in the SADC region, and Part C presenting results from the analysis of knowledge production and policy aspects of the Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARFSA). Research methodologies comprised a literature review to determine a theoretical framework, and an analysis of previous empirical studies on the scientific contribution of water research in the SADC region, and research on knowledge produced and citation impact. In addition, scientometric techniques were used to analyse citation data from water publications in the SADC region between 1980 and 2016, and knowledge produced from research projects funded through the WARFSA. Lastly, interviews were conducted with researchers and stakeholders involved in the WARFSA programme, to ascertain policy uptake from the WARFSA. As the study has shown, researchers affiliated with South African universities and research institutions have produced 84% of water research in the region, and for this reason, bibliometric data was first analysed to include citation data from all SADC countries, then South African citation data on its own, which was followed by SADC countries were South African citation data was excluded (referred to in the study as ‘SADC-ExSA’ countries). As already mentioned, one of the main findings from the study was that water research in the SADC region was mainly produced by South African researchers. However, on a per capita basis, researchers from Botswana, followed by the Seychelles and then South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe had produced the most water research. As most previous bibliometric studies were conducted on the South African water sector, findings from the analysis of citation data from South African researchers supported the previous bibliometric studies. The analysis of citation data from SADC-ExSA countries provided a clearer picture of the contribution the WARFSA programme has made to knowledge production in the region, especially when comparing citation data before and after the implementation period of WARFSA in the early 2000s. It was further evident that most of the 78 research projects funded through the WARFSA were implemented in SADC-ExSA countries, and benefited these countries most. If one were to consider only water research output in SADC-ExSA countries during the implementation period of WARFSA between 1999 and 2007, a significant increase is observed during this period. In addition, the study highlights the significance of the annual WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP SA symposium, which was initially presented along with WARFSA and continued after the initial two phases of the WARFSA. The study further highlighted the large contribution of external donor funding towards water research in especially SADC-ExSA countries, which some could argue borders on a dependency on external funding, when compared to more local support for water research in South Africa. In terms of the contribution of the WARFSA towards policy uptake, the study highlighted the gap between the research community and policymakers, the mixed involvement of practitioners and policymakers in the research projects and the positive role of intermediaries and knowledge brokers in the WARFSA-funded projects. Finally, the study highlighted the challenges in attributing research findings to policy relevance. In conclusion, this study recommends the potential adaptation of the HERG Payback framework to reflect ecological benefits resulting from research better. Moreover, such adaptations to the HERG Payback framework could strengthen future phases of the WARFSA to identify, monitor and report the benefits of research. In addition, such a monitoring function should be established outside research projects, to support research projects better.
Country-specific factors that compel South African scientists to engage with public audiences
(SISSA Medialab, 2018) Joubert, Marina
A study in South Africa shed light on a set of factors, specific to this country, that compel South African scientists towards public engagement. It highlights the importance of history, politics, culture and socio-economic conditions in influencing scientists' willingness to engage with lay audiences. These factors have largely been overlooked in studies of scientists' public communication behaviours.
Cultural differences and confidence in institutions : comparing Africa and the USA
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2018) Falade, Bankole
A comparison was undertaken of confidence in 17 institutions in Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the USA using data from the World Values Survey to find shared valuations and distinguishing characteristics as markers of cultural categories. Frequencies and rankings were examined and exploratory factor analysis was used to find plausible meanings of groups of institutions. The findings show that, although African respondents score institutions higher than their US counterparts, the rankings vary. With frequencies, the meaning is manifest. The analysis shows that 10 institutions load similarly on one latent variable and their combinations with the others indicate culture-specific characteristics. The latent variables were named ‘not-for-profit’, ‘for-profit’, ‘political’, ‘watchdog or fourth estate’ and ‘social order’ and they show Ghana is closer to the USA than to Nigeria, which is closer to Zimbabwe. The ‘not-for-profit’ variable is more important in the USA and Ghana and ‘political’ is more important in Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Institutional-specific loadings show that whereas the police and courts are grouped as ‘political’ in Nigeria, in other countries they belong to ‘social order’; and while universities are perceived as ‘for-profit’ in Africa, they are ‘not-for-profit’ in the USA. Comparing frequencies and rankings or dividing along the lines of individualistic versus collective or private and public sectors, masks the dynamic distribution of the systems of meaning in the local cultures; the latent variables approach therefore offers a more conceptually sound categorisation informed by shared and distinguishing institutions.
The decline of the humanities and social sciences in South Africa
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2011-09-27) Cherry, Michael I.
Two reports on the humanities and social sciences in South Africa have appeared within a month of each other, pointing to an increasing awareness of a sector of higher education that has declined – at least in terms of student enrolment – since the advent of our democracy in 1994. What can be done to arrest this decline?
Development of Indicators for the Measurement of the South African Publics’ Relationship with Science
(2017-03) Saahier, Parker; Mouton, Johann; School of Science and Technology
Development of research excellence : insights from modes of work of high-achieving early-career researchers
(HESA, 2021) Albertyn, C. H.; Prozesky, H.
When early-career researchers show promise to become the next generation of leading researchers, it is in the best interest of their employers to nurture their careers. This objective requires adequate understanding and support, at both institutional and policy level, of the modes of work of these early-career achievers. Our in-depth, qualitative investigation constructs a rich account of the creative ideation, writing and communication strategies of several high-performing early-career researchers. These researchers, who have already produced a high volume of quality research, are shown to employ modes of work that maintain this output, sometimes in spite of, and not because of, performance-based research-funding incentives and other managerial tools aimed at encouraging quality research output. Our interpretation of these results against the background of relevant empirical and theoretical literature leads us to present findings that we anticipate would be of significant interest to other early-career researchers, as well as to research managers and policymakers.
Do open access journal articles experience a citation advantage? Results and methodological refections of an application of multiple measures to an analysis by WoS subject areas
(Springer, 2021) Basson, Isabel; Blanckenberg, Jaco P.; Prozesky, H. E. (Heidi Eileen)
This study is one of the first that uses the recently introduced open access (OA) labels in the Web of Science (WoS) metadata to investigate whether OA articles published in Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) listed journals experience a citation advantage in comparison to subscription journal articles, specifically those of which no self-archived versions are available. Bibliometric data on all articles and reviews indexed in WoS, and published from 2013 to 2015, were analysed. In addition to normalised citation score (NCS), we used two additional measures of citation advantage: whether an article was cited at all; and whether an article is among the most frequently cited percentile of articles within its respective subject area (pptopX %). For each WoS subject area, the strength of the relationship between access status (whether an article was published in an OA journal) and each of these three measures was calculated. We found that OA journal articles experience a citation advantage in very few subject areas and, in most of these subject areas, the citation advantage was found on only a single measure of citation advantage, namely whether the article was cited at all. Our results lead us to conclude that access status accounts for little of the variability in the number of citations an article accumulates. The methodology and the calculations that were used in this study are described in detail and we believe that the lessons we learnt, and the recommendations we make, will be of much use to future researchers interested in using the WoS OA labels, and to the field of citation advantage in general.
The Doctorate in South Africa: Trends, challenges and constraints
(SUN MeDIA, 2016) Mouton, Johann
INTRODUCTION: We have witnessed over the past decade a renewed interest in doctoral education in South Africa. This interest has been fuelled by national as well as institutional policies that have identified the production of doctoral graduates as a matter of strategic priority. The country needs more doctoral graduates both to replenish the academic capacity in the higher education sector and to serve the knowledge economy and its new challenges. The aim of this chapter is to argue that four policy discourses have shaped and continue to shape current debates on the production of PhDs in South frica. These discourses address the need for increased volumes of PhD output (growth), efficiency, transformation and quality. But these discourses are not simply separate and parallel ‘forces’ that have differential impacts on doctoral production in South Africa. These discourses are often at odds with one another; they co-exist – often in tension – and sometimes even seem contradictory when taken together. The pursuit of increased numbers (growth) may, for example, have a negative impact on the achievement of quality and even compromise efficiency. These discourses – and the imperatives embedded in them – operate in a complex (higher education) system of recursive causality (feedback loops) and emergent properties (different levels of impact).
The dynamic of knowledge production and utilisation: Fifteen case studies
(SUN PReSS, 2005) Bailey, Tracey
This series of publications is the result of research conducted at the Centre for Research on Science and Technology (CREST) at Stellenbosch University. Volume 4. Abstracts of the fifteen case studies are presented below in the order that they appear in this volume. In addition, selected features of each of the case studies, such as the scientific domain(s) or discipline(s) within which each research project, programme or unit is located, and the primary mode of utilisation, are included in the summaries. All but two of the case studies focus on a project, programme or research centre/unit that is based in a university or a technikon. The two exceptions include cases based within the Agricultural Research Council and the Medical Research Council, since these emerged as interesting cases during the selection process.
The early history of research funding in South Africa : from the Research Grant Board to the FRD
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 201612) Luruli, Ndivhuwo M.; Mouton, Johann
The South African government has a long tradition of supporting research at public higher education institutions. Such support commenced in the early 20th century, although the exact nature of the support at that time is poorly documented. The oldest research funding model in the country was agency funding, which started as early as 1911 through the Royal Society of South Africa. A few years later, in 1918, a more coordinated funding body called the Research Grant Board (RGB) was established in the Union of South Africa. The RGB offered competitive funding to individual academics in the natural and physical sciences. The human sciences were only supported much later with the establishment of the Council for Educational and Social Research in 1929. Here we review the history of research funding in South Africa, with a special focus on the work of the RGB between 1918 and 1938.
Evaluation education in South Africa : characteristics and challenges in a changing world
(AOSIS, 2020) Wildschut, Lauren; Silubonde, Tikwiza R.
Background: South Africa and other developing countries are facing an ever-increasing demand for competent evaluators. In addition, increasing demands are being placed on those who become evaluators. What does this mean for evaluation education in its current form and state in South Africa? In addition, what possible responses can be there to the diverse drivers of change within the dynamic social context in which evaluators operate? Objectives: This article aims to address some of the questions related to the supply and demand profile of evaluation in South Africa, which may be useful for other developing countries. Method: A literature review and key informant interviews were carried out to answer the key research questions. Results: The article describes the provision of formal evaluation education and the challenges currently facing university-based offerings. The study provides a framework for considering the interaction between the supply and demand elements in the field of evaluation. Strategies are proposed for strengthening the supply of evaluators and ensuring that these evaluators can respond to the growing demands being placed on them. Conclusion: This article is valuable for all evaluation stakeholders as it provides insight into the academic landscape of evaluation in a developing context and explores practical ways to support and strengthen capacity building efforts in similar contexts.
An evaluation of the science system in Kenya
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University., 2020-03) Lutomiah, Agnes Omulyebi; Mouton, Johann; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Evaluation of science systems has been on the increase in the recent past following government calls for accountability of the public investment in research development. The government and other funders also call for the evaluation of science for decision making on the amounts to invest in research development. This study set out to conduct an evaluation of the Kenyan science system. Using a case study research design, the study combined standard research and development indicators, bibliometric data, survey data and interview data to evaluate Kenya’s research investment, research capacity and research performance – research output, research collaboration, and citation impact. The standard research and development indicators revealed minimal investment in research development in Kenya, an investment that is still below the government’s target of investing about 1-2% of GDP to research and development. The R&D indicators also show that the human resources available for research are low in relation to the government’s target and a comparison of other selected sub-Saharan countries. The government intends to increase the number of researchers by training more PhD students. It was also the objective of this study to assess and describe the trends in Kenya’s research performance. Bibliometric data on publications revealed a steady increase in scientific output over the past decade across all scientific fields. The study also found high scientific output in the agricultural and health sciences. Analyzing the co-authorship data revealed an increase in international collaboration with minimal inter-continental and national collaboration. Minimal national collaboration might imply a weak national science. The study also found that Kenya specializes in agricultural and the health sciences which is important for Kenya’s overall scientific output. Citation analysis showed that the citation impact of Kenya’s scientific output had increased steadily for the past two decades, registering a citation impact that is above the world average (i.e. above 1), which implies that it generates at least similar citation rates than other countries. Examining the factors that enable or constraint research performance, the study found no huge age differences that emerge in relation to respondent’s collaboration with different researchers. On the other end, male scientists were more likely to collaborate internationally as compared to female researchers. In relation to research output, in general, my findings show age, gender and scientific field are key predictors of reported scientific output. Statistically significant differences between age categories, although small, and research production were found as older scientists reported higher publication output in some fields and publication forms as compared to the younger scientists. Several scientific career challenges were identified in this study, which includes minimal funding support, lack of research networks, lack of mentoring, training and support in career decision and fundraising. The contribution of this study was both empirical and methodological. Using the research performance evaluation framework, this study provides a comprehensive evaluation of Kenya’s science system on the following aspects: research investment, research capacity and research performance (research output, research collaboration and citation impact). Apart from the evaluation, the study also provides information on the perceptions of scientists on research funding, research collaboration and career challenges. Methodologically, the study uses a case study research design, which allows triangulation of the standard R&D data, bibliometric data, survey data and interview data, to provide an in-depth understanding and evaluation of Kenya’s science system. Given that different methods have different limitations, the different data sources supplement each other.
Exploring the dynamics of innovation for inclusive development systems: a study of the Nigerian growth enhancement support scheme
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022) Adeyeye, Adedamola David; Grobbelaar, Sara S. ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Innovation remains central to industrial competitiveness and catching up and is crucial for providing targeted solutions to nagging development problems. This is because the innovation system (IS) framework, in principle, offers multiple learning pathways to issues of development and advocates context-specificity in the application. However, the problem with the framework is the limitation in accounting for the peculiarities of developing countries. Several authors have argued that there is a need to continuously modify the structural elements and processes to accommodate new sets of actors, institutions, and networks critical in the developing country context. This study contributes to the emerging literature on ISs and inclusive development by developing an analytical framework for assessing functional dynamics and performance. ISs performance is assessed by tracking how well the functions perform over time to determine policy interventions needed to strengthen the structural elements. The goal of the study is two-fold, to 1) develop an analytical framework for expanding the ISs framework to inclusive development; and 2) to show the utility of the framework in the I4ID context by generating insights into the functional dynamics and performance of an IS. The research design is the case study approach. It is operationalised using the Conceptual Framework Analysis (CFA) method developed by Jabareen (2009). This offers a qualitative procedure of theorisation for building and validating conceptual frameworks based on the Grounded Theory (GT) methodology. This study expands on previous works which adapt the systemic policy approach to assessing the performance of innovations in inclusive development (van der Hilst, 2012; Botha, 2017; van der Merwe, 2017). The systemic policy framework provides a guide for assessing innovation performance at a systemic level by combining the structural and functional approaches to identify systemic problems and proffer solutions (Wieczorek and Hekkert, 2012). To explore and develop critical insights into the performance of I4ID systems, the developed framework was applied to the GES scheme in Nigeria’s agricultural system through the event history analysis (EHA), qualitative analysis, and consultation of experts. Building on the work of Maarsingh et al. (2021), the study utilises the EHA to identify the functions and the relationship between them. It reveals the cumulative causation, motors of innovation, drivers and barriers to the evolution of the GES scheme. Key informant interviews and in-depth interviews were conducted with actors in the GES scheme to triangulate the findings of the EHA and further provide evidence to identify systemic problems hindering the growth of the I4ID system and possible policies for solving them. The study draws lessons from the Nigerian GES scheme to analyse the role of policy in the emergence of the I4ID system while also providing critical insights into the broader approach in the context of the I4ID system. While contributing to knowledge on the emerging field of the I4ID system, the study highlights some limitations in methodology and inclusivity. It suggests further areas of research, for instance, examining the broader policy structures, especially the political economy of the state and its influence on the performance of I4ID systems.
The extent of South African authored articles in predatory journals
(Academy of Science of South Africa, 2017-04) Mouton, Johann; Valentine, Astrid
We present a first estimate of the extent of predatory publishing amongst South African academics. This estimate is based on an analysis of all South African authored papers that qualified for subsidy over the period 2005 to 2014. The analysis shows that 4246 South African papers were published in 48 journals which we re-classified (refining Beall’s classification) as either being probably or possibly predatory. A breakdown of these papers by year shows that the greatest increase in predatory publishing has occurred since 2011. Results are also presented of the distribution of these papers by individual university and scientific field. We conclude with some suggestions about predatory publishing and its pervasive consequence for our trust in science and how this should be addressed by the major stakeholders in the South African higher education system.
Fact-checking role performances and problematic covid-19 vaccine content in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa
(Cogitatio Press, 2024-10-14) Riedlinger, Michelle; Montana‐Nino, Silvia; Watt, Ned; Garcia‐Perdomo, Victor; Joubert, Marina
The move from political fact-checking to a “public health” or debunking model of fact-checking, sustained by policies and funding from platforms, highlights important tensions in the case of Covid-19. Building on findings from studies focused on journalistic role performance, we investigated how professional fact-checkers in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa conceived of and performed their professional roles when addressing Covid-19 vaccination topics. Interviews with fact-checkers from six well-established, Meta-affiliated, International Fact-Checking Network-accredited organizations operating in these regions indicated that fact-checkers recognized the diversification of tasks and new roles associated with addressing problematic content from social media users. However, fact-checkers expressed unanimous commitment to prioritizing political and media watchdog activities in response to problematic Covid-19 vaccine information spreading from elite sources. To compare these role conceptions with role performance, we conducted a content analysis of Covid-19 vaccine content posted in 2021 to these fact-checkers’ Facebook accounts. We found that content was mostly associated with explainers or debunking content (addressing hoaxes or rumors about Covid-19 vaccines from non-elite social media users). In particular, the abundance of explainers, compared with other genres of fact-checking content, aligns fact-checkers with professional roles as civic service providers, educators, and “interpreters” of health information. Only a small proportion of the Covid-19 vaccine-related posts from each fact-checker contained verifications of claims from authoritative (elite “top-down”) sources (i.e., politicians, media, and health/science professionals). This study offers insights into a particularly tumultuous time of political activity in these regions and considers implications for practice innovation.
Factors influencing the public communication behaviour of publicly visible scientists in South Africa
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Joubert, Catherina Magdelena (Marina); Weingart, Peter; Mouton, Johann; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology.
ENGLISH SUMMARY: Given the policy intention of the South African government to encourage and support public science engagement, this study set out to identify and understand the factors that influence scientists’ behaviours as far as public communication about their work is concerned. Based on an extensive literature review and interviews with 30 publicly visible scientists, a complex blend of factors that influence scientists’ participation in public science communication were identified and explored. Important factors included field of research, career stage, age, gender, personality and population group, as well as scientists’ attitudes towards communication platforms and the public. Furthermore, this study yielded new insight into the influence of the historical, bio-geographical, cultural and socio-political contexts on scientists’ engagement with public audiences, while also highlighting how their communication behaviour is shaped by institutional environments and national contexts. The population group to which the individual scientists belong emerged as an important factor in terms of scientists’ perceived ability to connect with multi-cultural and multi-lingual audiences in South Africa. In light of changes in the norms that govern scientists’ behaviour, and contradictory policies that scientists may encounter, the conflicted and contested nature of public science communication was highlighted, along with scientists’ resulting ambivalence about their own participation in these activities. The current study shows that visible scientists in South Africa are mostly keen to engage with public audiences, and that they are typically motivated towards public engagement by a blend of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Time constraints and a lack of institutional support, incentives and recognition remain key barriers which limit scientists’ participation in public communication of science. Earlier findings that visible scientists are typically highly productive leaders in the science community were validated, thereby challenging the perception that public science communication carries a stigma and is too time-intensive to accommodate in the career of a serious scientist. Based on the findings in this study, it is recommended that policymakers who seek to stimulate quality and/or quantity of public science engagement, need to focus on the contextual factors, i.e. the policies and support structures in the institutions where scientists work. Further policy implications that are outlined include the value of mobilising black scientists as role models and enabling visible scientists to act as communication mentors, as well as the need to ensure responsible use of social media and ethical science PR practices in public communication of science.

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