Academic Publications and Academic Collaboration Networks of Academic Staff Working in Research Universities

Collaboration among academic staff is a multifaceted concept that plays an important role in increasing educational practices, research quality, and professional development in higher education. This study aims to examine the academic publications and academic collaboration networks of academic staff working in research universities in Turkey by using the social network analysis method. In the research, a whole network analysis was conducted using the Social Network Analysis method. Out of 23 universities determined within the scope of the Research Universities Support Program, 15 universities with a Department of Educational Administration were included in the study by criterion sampling method. In the study, data on academic staff in each university were collected through the Higher Education Information System (YOKSIS). A checklist consisting of six criteria developed by the researcher was used to collect the data. This checklist includes the name of the author, name of the academic publication, date of the academic publication, keywords, co-authors and journal name. The analysis of the data in the study was carried out with UCINET 6.0, one of the social network analysis programs. According to the results of the research, it is seen that the academic collaboration network among academic staff in research universities is weak, whereas the networks established by academics working in research universities with their colleagues in other universities are denser and stronger. Despite the weak connections between academic staff in research universities, it is seen that academic publications in these universities include many interconnected concepts. When academic publications are examined, it is seen that the most frequently used keywords are teacher, school principal, leadership, school, Turkish Education System, trust, student, organizational commitment and self-efficacy. It is concluded that Hacettepe and Ankara University outperform other research universities in terms of academic collaboration networks and academic publications. Based on the results of this study, it may be recommended to conduct qualitative research to examine the underlying causes and results of academic collaboration networks among academic staff in depth.