Inter-institutional scientific collaboration: an approach from social network analysis

Abstract

The main objective is to characterize the production of knowledge of the different productive sectors in the field of Agricultural studies. A second objective is to project inter-institutional networks of collaboration through visualization techniques. Thirdly, we intend to analyze this network, looking more carefully at aspects such as the degree of interaction between/among agents, the appearance or disappearance of actors, or potential effects on the increase of the internationalization of scientific output. We also try to elaborate an interpretation protocol for collaboration networks in R&D that could be applied to any field of knowledge or upper level of aggregation (i.e. countries or regions). Finally, in order to equip this graphic representation with other functionalities, we lend it an added value by allowing diverse levels of analysis and its service as an interface for domain analysis and information retrieval.