Academic Inbreeding and Collaboration Patterns: A Comparative Publication Profile of Two Turkish Universities

Abstract

This study examines how academic inbreeding relates to scientific collaboration through a publication-level comparison of two Turkish universities during 2018–2022: Hacettepe University, a long-established, research-intensive public university and TED University, a young foundation university. Using AVESİS publication records (N = 6292) and staff profiles (N = 1371), authors are classified into two mobility profiles, distinguishing those with international degree or work experience from those whose education and employment are entirely domestic. A publication-level inbreeding category is then assigned according to whether author teams comprise only one profile or combine both. Collaboration is measured across six co-authorship settings, and internationally co-authored publications are further classified by the World Bank income group of partner countries. Findings reveal a marked institutional contrast. At Hacettepe, domestic collaborations are predominantly produced by teams composed entirely of authors with domestic-only education and work experience. Such teams also account for a substantial share of internationally co-authored publications. At TED, internationally co-authored publications more often involve teams composed entirely of authors with international experience. These results suggest that internationalisation can coexist with institutionally reproduced networks shaped by mobility, internal reproduction and network openness.