About Africa Science Trackers
Africa Science Trackers (AST) is a black owned SME that is based in Stellenbosch, South Africa. AST's main focus is to: 1) track and index all peer-reviewed articles and other document types on the African continent published in accredited journals, both domestic and international; 2) develop an all-Africa Scientist-Index of all active scientists and scholars from all disciplinary backgrounds on the continent; and 3) conduct high quality scientometric research in Higher Education, Science and Technology as well as other research with related social relevance and impact for a variety of clientele that include Governments, Tertiary Institutions, and NGOs. While the initial focus was on research output in the Natural, Life sciences and Engineering, AST has also realized the value and need to include scholarly output from the Humanities and Social Sciences. AST strives to facilitate the development of comprehensive bibliometric databases that enable universities/institutions to evaluate their own research performance effectively, develop research strategies and indicators. AST realizes the enormous task of indexing research output on the continent. For this reason AST is forming regional partnerships that facilitate the efficient indexing of both research output and scholars on the continent.
Brief Rationale
Various journal articles, commissioned studies and reports have highlighted the plight of 'African Science'. The lack of visibility on the continent and internationally, under-representation in globally renowned indices and the existence of an 'information gap', are just but a few of the concerns that have been pointed out. Moreover, (except for a few countries) most African countries and institutions engaged in R&D do not keep track of their peer-reviewed scientific output as well as their intellectual capital. The consequences of such inadequacies are far reaching and are well documented. It is in this light that Africa Science Trackers seeks to alter the status quo through our mission and objectives.