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ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The production of scientific publications in engineering in South Africa has expanded over the last three decades. Because engineering is an important science, this expansion has implications for the growth and development of the economy. Drawing on a sample range of years of the publications stored in the ISI Web of Knowledge, the engineering publications of South Africans for a 30-year period from 1975-2005 are analysed. This analysis shows that the production of scientific publications in engineering by South African researchers has increased during the analysed period; that the number of researchers per publication has grown; that the number of countries collaborating with South Africa has increased; and that the number of sole-authored papers has decreased. Domestic collaboration (between researchers within South Africa) has decreased, while international collaboration has grown considerably. The key objective of the paper is to find out whether the production of publications is related to the level of collaboration, and to see how collaboration can be regressed from other known variables. It is clear from the study that collaboration is a decisive factor in the production of scientific publications in engineering in South Africa.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING Die produksie van wetenskaplike publikasies in ingenieurswese in Suid-Afrika het oor die afgelope drie dekades toegeneem. Aangesien ingenieurswese ‘n belangrike wetenskap is, beïnvloed dié toename die groei en ontwikkeling van die ekonomie. Deur na ‘n monster van voormalige publikasies op die “ISI Web of Science” te kyk, is die publikasies in ingenieurswese deur Suid-Afrikaners oor ‘n 30 jaar periode van 1975-2005 geanaliseer. Die analise toon dat die produksie van wetenskaplike publikasies in ingenieurswese deur Suid-Afrikaanse navorsers toegeneem het oor dié tydperk; dat die aantal navorsers per publikasie gegroei het; dat daar ‘n toename was in die hoeveelheid lande wat met Suid-Afrika saamgewerk het; en dat die aantal artikels van enkelouteurs verminder het. Plaaslike samewerking (tussen Suid-Afrikaanse navorsers) het afgeneem, maar internasionale samewerking het aansienlik toegeneem. Die hoofdoelwit van die artikel is om te bepaal of die produksie van publikasies verband hou met die vlak van samewerking, en om vas te stel hoe samewerking vanaf ander bekende veranderlikes terugbereken kan word. Uit die studie blyk dit duidelik dat samewerking ‘n beslissende faktor is ten opsigte van die produksie van wetenskaplike publikasies in ingenieurswese in Suid-Afrika.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Engineering as a branch of science has a crucial role in the growth of the economy. The growth and development of engineering is therefore highly relevant. One way to understand this is to examine the characteristics of the scientific knowledge produced in the field of engineering. Drawing on the publications in engineering from the ISI Web of Science over the last three decades, this paper looks at the visibility and importance of engineering research in South Africa. The visibility of research publications is studied in terms of the number of citations a publication receives. The analysis shows that the visibility of South African engineering research is determined by the number of authors involved in the production of a paper, the presence of international collaboration, the degree of collaboration, and the journals in which the papers are published. Engineering research in South Africa, compared with that of all subjects, is clearly growing. But the visibility of South African engineering publications, in comparison with all other subjects, has been diminishing in recent years.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ingenieurswese as ‘n vertakking van die wetenskap speel ‘n kardinale rol in die groei van die ekonomie. Die groei en ontwikkeling van die ingenieurswese is dus uiters relevant. Een manier om dit te verstaan, is om die eienskappe van die wetenskaplike kennis wat op die terrein van die ingenieurswese geproduseer word te ondersoek. Deur na die publikasies in ingenieurswese op die “ISI Web of Science” te kyk oor die afgelope drie dekades, bestudeer hierdie artikel die sigbaarheid en belangrikheid van navorsing in die ingenieurswese in Suid- Afrika. Die sigbaarheid van navorsingspublikasies word bestudeer aan die hand van die aantal sitasies wat ‘n gepubliseerde artikel ontvang. Die ontleding toon dat die sigbaarheid van Suid-Afrikaanse ingenieurswese-navorsing bepaal word deur die aantal outeurs betrokke by die artikel, die teenwoordigheid van internasionale samewerking, die mate van samewerking asook die joernale waarin dit gepubliseer is. Navorsing in die ingenieurswese in Suid-Afrika is duidelik aan die groei in vergelyking met ander vakgebiede. Daarteenoor, neem die sigbaarheid egter af wanneer dit met ander vakgebiede vergelyk word.