Tracing the Footprints of the University of Zambia Research Output,1966-2016

Abstract

This study analyses the growth and development of the research activity of the University of Zambia as reflected in publications covered by Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science from the year 1966 till 2015. The study examines the content of published papers, including authorship patterns, author productivity; subject-wise rank distribution of publications, collaborative patterns, source journal titles, most prolific authors, and most prolific disciplines. The results indicate that the growth of research has steadily increased from four articles in 1966 to 2692 articles in 2015. Multi-authored publications predominate amongst the pattern of authorship. Journal publications are the largest contributor and main determinants of the growth pattern. They account for 68.6% of the total units, while book reviews account for 12% and meeting abstracts for 5.3%.