A bibliometric study of Dar es Salaam region research output 1980 to 2003

Although there have been an increase in the number of research and research organizations in Tanzania, little is known about the nature and extent of the research conducted. This is a bibliometric study designed to analyze and determine trend in research in Dar es Salaam region from 1980 to 2003. A purposive sampling method was used, where a sample of 1715 out of 2000 records was extracted from CD-ISIS version of Regional Bibliographies Database. A checklist of variables and data collection sheets was used in data collection. Tools and sources used in identifying subject classes of the records were Library of Congress and Dewey decimal classification scheme manuals, title and abstracts of records, authors’ affiliation and subject descriptors. The following are the major findings: literature on Dar es Salaam is increasing exponentially; Medicine, Social Science and Humanities are the most productive disciplines; great proportional of research 1076 (62.8%) is unpublished; male authors outnumbered female authors by 58.8 % to 32.19%; generally there is low level of authors’ productivity and collaboration. Areas that need new research attention are poverty, HIV/AIDS, street children, unemployment, robbery, water supply and sanitations, energy and power supply and public transport. New emerging research areas are: gender and women studies, electrical engineering, hydraulic engineering, mining engineering and geology. The study has the following recommendations: researchers should be encouraged to publish their research findings in local and international journals; mainstreaming gender in research in order to promote female researchers. Research institutions should encourage multidisciplinary research and collaboration among researchers. Researchers should also pay attention to problems which are prevalent in the Dar es Salaam region.