Overview

As a social endeavour, scientific research is practised by people within various institutional contexts. These include universities, science councils, national research institutes and laboratories, private firms and NGOs. Scientists form epistemic communities with specific rules and norms. They communicate in certain ways amongst themselves and form ‘citation cultures’ that identify bodies of scholarship. Their research outputs and impacts are scrutinized which calls for an in-depth understanding of the scientific publication system and best practice in research evaluation. Evaluation practices range from the highest level where national science systems are regularly reviewed, to evaluations of scientific institutions (universities and science councils), reviews of scientific fields and disciplines, and research programmes and projects.

During the research component of the programme, students will be afforded the opportunity to align their research with the focus areas of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (SciSTIP), hosted at CREST. Click here for details about the focus areas of SciSTIP.

Note that CREST also offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Research Management and Administration.

Programme structure

Students must complete eight structured course work modules of 15 credits each. The eight course work modules are:

  • Research management
  • Bibliometrics
  • Advanced scientometrics
  • Research evaluation
  • Research uptake and societal impact
  • Scientific communication
  • Sociology of science
  • Science policy themes

In addition to the course work modules, students must complete a research assignment of 60 credits. Most students choose to focus on the course work modules during the first year of the programme and complete the research assignment in the second year.

The modular structure of the programme makes it possible for participants to structure it as part-time study over a period of two years, without the need to be in Stellenbosch permanently.