title: Dynamics of a Global Zoonotic Research Network Over 33 Years (1980-2012).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The increasing rate of outbreaks in humans of zoonotic diseases requires detailed examination of the education, research, and practice of animal health and its connection to human health. This study investigated the collaboration network of different fields engaged in conducting zoonotic research from a transdisciplinary perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Examination of the dynamics of this network for a 33-year period from 1980 to 2012 is presented through the development of a large scientometric database from Scopus. In our analyses we compared several properties of these networks, including density, clustering coefficient, giant component, and centrality measures over time. We also elicited patterns in different fields of study collaborating with various other fields for zoonotic research.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We discovered that the strongest collaborations across disciplines are formed among the fields of medicine; biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology; immunology and microbiology; veterinary; agricultural and biological sciences; and social sciences. Furthermore, the affiliation network is growing overall in terms of collaborative research among different fields of study such that more than two-thirds of all possible collaboration links among disciplines have already been formed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that zoonotic research scientists in different fields (human or animal health, social science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering) have been actively collaborating with each other over the past 11 years.
authors.affiliation: 1Division of Information and Technology Studies, Faculty of Education,The University of Hong Kong,Pokfulam,Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Liaquat
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7616-9182
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hossain
authors.affiliation: 2Complex Systems Research and Project Management Program, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies,The University of Sydney,Sydney,Australia.
authors.forename: Faezeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Information Science,University of Arkansas,Little Rock,Arkansas.
authors.forename: Rolf T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Wigand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001690:Biological Science Disciplines / Q000458:organization & administration; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004199:Disease Vectors; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods*; D012106:Research / Q000458:organization & administration; D015047:Zoonoses
keywords: animal diseases; capacity building; civil defense; communication; education; public health professional