Information services provider Thomson Reuters, US, has released a study examining research trends in Australia and New Zealand. The study shows broadening international collaboration in the research of Australia and, to a lesser degree, New Zealand, over the past 10 years. The US continues to be the biggest contributor to Australian and New Zealand publications, but of special interest is a sizeable increase of Australia’s collaboration with China.
The study, Global Research Report: Australia and New Zealand, found that collaboration within the Asia Pacific region is notably changing. Collaboration with Australia among some Asia Pacific nations (such as New Zealand, India and Singapore) increased, and collaboration with China doubled (rising from 2.3 percent to 4.4 percent of all Australian outputs). However, collaboration with Japan remained unchanged. Likewise, Japan’s rank as a contributor of co-authored papers with New Zealand fell from sixth to eighth.
The report notes that Australia’s share of world research publication output has grown steadily from 2.85 percent in 1999 to 3.18 percent in 2008. In the same period, the volume of Australian publications has risen annually by an average of 5 percent — a growth rate higher than that of world publication averages. Computer science, materials science, environment/ecology, and clinical medicine are subject areas where Australia has increased its outputs, consistent with its national research priorities. Subject areas that have grown in the volume of outputs in New Zealand are computer sciences, biology and biochemistry, immunology, and neurosciences and behaviour, consistent with the country’s government research, science and technology agenda.
The study is part of the Global Research Report series from Thomson Reuters that illustrates the changing landscape and dynamics of scientific research around the world. The report series draws on data found in Web of Science, available on the Thomson Reuters Web of Knowledge platform.
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