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Nonprofit · Johannesburg · South Africa

Conversation Africa

In research, Conversation Africa stands highest in Social Sciences (#8,544 of 9,585 worldwide) and Social Sciences (#5,678 of 5,988 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Communication (Communication is 78.8× its share of world research).

theconversation.com/africaROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#16,683
of 22,385 · #31,377 all time
Rank in South Africa
#61
of 75
Research works
200
▲ 956% vs 2018-21
Citations
34
0.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
10.3%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.80×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
8%
world 40%
International
8%
world 18%
Conversation Africa

What is Conversation Africa known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Social SciencesDomain #8,544 of 9,585 11.4%96 #13590
Social SciencesField #5,678 of 5,988 10.6%75 -

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Conversation Africa sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Conversation Africa work in?

In 2022-now, 69% of research at Conversation Africa is in Social Sciences, 16% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (53%), Medicine (9%), Environmental Science (6%). It does 2.7× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 124 fractional works · 69.0% of its workSocial Sciences: 95 fractional works · 52.9% of its workCommunication: 39 fractional works · 21.5% of its workSociology and Political Science: 22 fractional works · 12.0% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 14 fractional works · 7.7% of its workHealth: 4 fractional works · 2.5% of its workEducation: 4 fractional works · 2.3% of its workGender Studies: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workCultural Studies: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workDemography: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workDevelopment: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSafety Research: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workUrban Studies: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAnthropology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workTransportation: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLaw: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 11 fractional works · 6.1% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 6 fractional works · 3.4% of its workFinance: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPsychology: 8 fractional works · 4.4% of its workSocial Psychology: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workClinical Psychology: 3 fractional works · 1.7% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 5 fractional works · 2.8% of its workPhilosophy: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workArcheology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 4 fractional works · 2.0% of its workAccounting: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workManagement Information Systems: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMarketing: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workPhysical Sciences: 28 fractional works · 15.6% of its workEnvironmental Science: 11 fractional works · 6.2% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 5 fractional works · 2.6% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEcological Modeling: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEcology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workComputer Science: 6 fractional works · 3.6% of its workInformation Systems: 4 fractional works · 2.1% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workComputer Science Applications: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 4 fractional works · 2.0% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 3 fractional works · 1.6% of its workAtmospheric Science: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workEarth-Surface Processes: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEnergy: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEngineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workChemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workChemical Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMaterials Science: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workHealth Sciences: 22 fractional works · 12.1% of its workMedicine: 16 fractional works · 9.0% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 4 fractional works · 2.4% of its workEpidemiology: 3 fractional works · 1.7% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workInfectious Diseases: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPhysiology: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workReproductive Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDermatology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSurgery: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Professions: 6 fractional works · 3.1% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 5 fractional works · 2.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workLife Sciences: 6 fractional works · 3.3% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workFood Science: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEndocrinology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workGenetics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workVirology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workALL ITS WORKConversationAfrica180fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences3%Physical Sciences16%Health Sciences12%Social Sciences69%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 21 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences9552.9%
    2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance116.1%
    3. Psychology84.4%
    4. Arts and Humanities52.8%
    5. Business, Management and Accounting42.0%
    6. Decision Sciences10.8%
    1. Environmental Science116.2%
    2. Computer Science63.6%
    3. Physics and Astronomy42.0%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences31.6%
    5. Energy20.9%
    6. Engineering10.6%
    7. Chemistry10.3%
    8. Chemical Engineering00.2%
    9. Materials Science00.0%
    1. Medicine169.0%
    2. Health Professions63.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences21.1%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology21.0%
    3. Neuroscience10.7%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology10.6%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Conversation Africa specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Communication takes 78.8× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. CommunicationSubfield · 38.7 works79×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.23× its world share, 2 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.19× its world share, 2 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.55× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.40× its world share, 1 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 0.53× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.21× its world share, 1 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.47× its world share, 6 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.04× its world share, 3 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.01× its world share, 2 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.04× its world share, 1 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.25× its world share, 11 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksMaterials SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 0.92× its world share, 4 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 1.19× its world share, 6 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.47× its world share, 16 worksMedicineArts and Humanities: 0.97× its world share, 5 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.63× its world share, 4 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.80× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 2.85× its world share, 11 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.44× its world share, 8 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 4.18× its world share, 95 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Social Sciences, 4.2×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 21 fields, with their numbers
  1. Social Sciences4.18×95 works
  2. Economics, Econometrics and Finance2.85×11 works
  3. Psychology1.44×8 works
  4. Environmental Science1.25×11 works
  5. Health Professions1.19×6 works
  6. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.04×3 works
  7. Energy1.01×2 works
  8. Arts and Humanities0.97×5 works
  9. Physics and Astronomy0.92×4 works
  10. Decision Sciences0.80×1 works
  11. Business, Management and Accounting0.63×4 works
  12. Immunology and Microbiology0.55×1 works
  13. Chemical Engineering0.53×0 works
  14. Computer Science0.47×6 works
  15. Medicine0.47×16 works
  16. Neuroscience0.40×1 works
  17. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.23×2 works
  18. Chemistry0.21×1 works
  19. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.19×2 works
  20. Engineering0.04×1 works
  21. Materials Science0.01×0 works

What are the most cited papers from Conversation Africa?

The most cited paper from Conversation Africa is "On the categorization of ejectives: data from Witsuwit'en" (RICHARD A. WRIGHT, Sharon Hargus, Katharine Davis, 2002), with 46 citations. Next come "Voices from the sidewalk: Ethnography and writing race" (44) and "Artificial Intelligence and Journalism in Four African Countries: Optimists, Pessimists, and Pragmatists" (18).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 On the categorization of ejectives: data from Witsuwit'en RICHARD A. WRIGHT, Sharon Hargus, Katharine Davis · Journal of the International Phonetic Association Jun 2002 46
2 Voices from the sidewalk: Ethnography and writing race Mitchell Duneier, Les Back · Ethnic and Racial Studies May 2006 44
3 Artificial Intelligence and Journalism in Four African Countries: Optimists, Pessimists, and Pragmatists Emeka Umejei, Aurelia Ayisi, Millie Phiri et al. · Journalism Practice Open access 10 Apr 2025 18
4 Designing basic income pilots for community development: What are the key community concerns? Evidence from citizen engagement in Northern England Neil Howard, Grace E. Gregory, Elliott Johnson et al. · Local Development & Society Open access 11 Oct 2023 13
5 Methods for analyzing actual communication: A shared decision making consultation under multiple methodological lenses Julia Menichetti, Inge Henselmans, Janneke Noordman et al. · Patient Education and Counseling Open access Oct 2021 6
All 16 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Conversation Africa?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Social Media, Podcasting, Motivations, Audio Storytelling, Radio Revival, Climate Change, Globalization and Ethical Considerations.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Social Media45▲ 18×10 topics
  2. Podcasting39▲ 1099×2 topics
  3. Motivations38▲ 819×2 topics
  4. Audio Storytelling37▲ 1984×1 topic
  5. Radio Revival37▲ 1984×1 topic
  6. Climate Change15▲ 3.1×21 topics
  7. Globalization12▲ 3.4×22 topics
  8. Sustainability8▲ 1.91×15 topics
  9. Ethical Considerations7▲ 12×6 topics
  10. Human Rights7▲ 3.8×11 topics
  11. Public Health6▲ 2.5×10 topics
  12. Migration6▲ 9.3×7 topics
  13. Nationalism5▲ 5.8×5 topics
  14. International Relations4▲ 10×7 topics
  15. Geopolitics4▲ 16×9 topics
  16. Political Economy4▲ 9.2×7 topics
  17. Medical Education4▲ 8.3×3 topics
  18. Behavior Change4▲ 14×2 topics
  19. Democracy4▲ 5.8×7 topics
  20. Patient Engagement4▲ 15×2 topics
  21. Discrimination4▲ 9.4×5 topics
  22. Gender3▲ 3.5×5 topics
  23. Healthcare Communication3▲ 22×2 topics
  24. Conflict3▲ 11×5 topics
  25. Online Recruitment3▲ 74×1 topic
  26. Public Health Promotion3▲ 74×1 topic
  27. Public Perception3▲ 14×3 topics
  28. Entrepreneurship3▲ 4.5×5 topics
  29. Global Warming3▲ 4.1×3 topics
  30. Energy Transition3▲ 11×2 topics
  31. Governance3▲ 5.1×3 topics
  32. Law Enforcement3▲ 27×3 topics
  33. Political Communication3▲ 28×2 topics
  34. Violence3▲ 11×3 topics
  35. Global Governance3▲ 6.2×5 topics
  36. Mitigation Strategies3▲ 22×2 topics
  37. Monetary Policy3▲ 6.3×4 topics
  38. Public Opinion3▲ 12×5 topics
  39. Vulnerability3▲ 6.4×5 topics
  40. Economic Policy2▲ 27×4 topics

Which research topics does Conversation Africa publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Radio, Podcasts, and Digital Media, Social Media in Health Education, Computational Physics and Python Applications and Innovations in Educational Methods.

Radio, Podcasts, and Dig…37Radio, Podcasts, and Digital Media: 37 fractional worksSocial Media in Health Education: 3 fractional worksComputational Physics and Python Applications: 2 fractional worksInnovations in Educational Methods: 2 fractional worksSpace exploration and regulation: 2 fractional worksPopulism, Right-Wing Movements: 2 fractional worksClimate Change Policy and Economics: 2 fractional worksJewish and Middle Eastern Studies: 2 fractional worksCinema and Media Studies: 2 fractional worksCybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies: 2 fractional works
CommunicationHealthArtificial IntelligenceEducation5 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Radio, Podcasts, and Digital Media Communication 37 works
  2. 2 Social Media in Health Education Health 3 works
  3. 3 Computational Physics and Python Applications Artificial Intelligence 2 works
  4. 4 Innovations in Educational Methods Education 2 works
  5. 5 Space exploration and regulation Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 works
  6. 6 Populism, Right-Wing Movements Political Science and International Relations 2 works
  7. 7 Climate Change Policy and Economics Economics and Econometrics 2 works
  8. 8 Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies Sociology and Political Science 2 works
  9. 9 Cinema and Media Studies Economics and Econometrics 2 works
  10. 10 Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies Information Systems 2 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available7.7%not open92.3%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors8.4%domestic only91.6%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Conversation Africa's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 956% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting20052010201520202025
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Conversation Africa as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00099% in 2024.

still counting0.00050%0.0010%Conversation Africa0.00059% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Conversation Africa over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

Other research institutions in Johannesburg

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Conversation Africa on Science Explorer

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