Investigating author impact in South African interpreting research

Abstract

Interpreting research has become increasingly popular in South Africa post 1994. As a result, new authors have emerged, and a wide variety of interpreting contexts are being researched. A database, Interpreting Research in South Africa (IRSA), was established with the intent to analyse these research trends, but also to make it easier for researchers and students to find publications on interpreting in one, easily accessible database. In this article, a bibliometric approach is undertaken to measure the author impact and co-authorship count for each of the interpreting researchers included in IRSA. Bibliometric methods allow for analyses that showcase both impact and co-authorship trends among researchers in the field. The h-index for every author included in IRSA was calculated. Apart from determining which authors have made the greatest impact, the study also seeks to look at general trends that may influence a researcher’s decision as regards single v. co-authored publications.