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Current Awareness 2025: April

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What is current awareness

Current awareness is the term used to describe staying informed by keeping up to date with the latest publications, research and news in your field.

The perspective of current awareness is the present and the forthcoming, as opposed to the retrospective. 

Current awareness ranges from looking for information on specific topics on a regular basis (and this usually involves the assistance of your Personal Librarian to help you set up a search profile matched to your research interests) to embracing a wider, more general, and cross-disciplinary view that brings an element of serendipity into your search for the latest information.

Informally, researchers remain alert in all contexts for useful information and insights that will inform their daily practice, their research, and spark off innovative and creative ideas for new avenues of research.

Website of the month

South African History Online mission is to break the silence on our past and to address the biased way in which the historical and cultural heritage of South Africa and the continent has been represented in our educational and cultural institutions.

SAHO has committed itself to compiling a new history for a new country in partnerships with academic, heritage and community groups and provides ordinary people a platform to tell their own stories.   

Database of the Month

Unisa Open

The following sites on Unisa Open contains useful information for Unisa staff.

Older Current Awareness guides

About the monthly awareness page

The year is marked with many special days, weeks, and months dedicated and devoted to raising awareness about important issues.

This monthly post, compiled by the Information Search Librarians Team, will note special dates and themes, and draw your attention to possibly interesting cross-disciplinary topical references intended to inform and to inspire ideas for research.

Selected noteworthy days in March

Why do we mark International Days?

International days and weeks are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool. We also mark other UN observances.

 

The 2025 World Autism Awareness Day Observance 2 April

The 2025 observance, under the theme "Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)", highlights the intersection between neurodiversity and global sustainability efforts, showcasing how inclusive policies and practices can drive positive change for autistic individuals worldwide and contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.

Register to join the event on 2 April.

G20 Digital Economy Working Group, 7 to 11 Apr

The G20 Meeting of the Digital Economy Working Group and the Task Force on AI meeting are part of a series of international meetings that the country is hosting as a precursor to the main G20 Summit in November 2025.

https://www.g20.org/

Africa Children’s Summit, 10 to 12 Apr

The Africa Children’s Summit 2025 (ACS 2025) is a landmark gathering aimed at championing child participation in shaping the future of the children of the continent. It will bring together 1300 children from all five African regions to discuss critical challenges impacting the well-being of Africa’s children, review progress on recommendations from the inaugural summit, and propose actionable solutions for the future.

With the theme: "Seen, Heard, Engaged," this child-led conference marks a significant step in ensuring African children’s voices are amplified in policy-making and decision-making processes. 

About The ACS’25 – Africa Children's Summit

The summit will be live on www.dsdtv.org.za    

 

International Mother Earth Day 2025 22 April

Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet earth in a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit.

International Mother Earth Day is celebrated to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance.

This Day also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.

International Mother Earth Day 2025 | South African Government

International Mother Earth Day 2025

 

World Book and Copyright Day 2025 23 April

World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognise the magical power of books - a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures. On this occasion, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers and libraries.

World Book and Copyright Day 2025 | South African Government

World Book and Copyright Day | UNESCO

 

Freedom Day 2025 27 April

Freedom Day is the commemoration of the first democratic elections held in South Africa on 27 April 1994.  These were the first post-apartheid national elections to be held in South African where anyone could vote regardless of race.

Although we have made remarkable progress since 1994, the spectre of inequality, poverty and unemployment remains one of the most glaring impediments to South Africa’s goal of national unity and social cohesion.

We also dare not forget the terrible past from which we have come, nor should we forget the many sacrifices made by patriots to ensure our democracy and freedom. Our history abounds with selfless patriots who paved the way for a democratic and free South Africa.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of struggle icon and human rights campaigner Charlotte Maxeke. She and other selfless women of her generation fought against oppression at a time when such defiance was met with unrelenting force.

Freedom Day 2025 | South African Government

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the media

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Catalytic niche areas

The university has identified ten (10) catalytic niches that will assist the institution in catalysing research, innovation and engaged scholarship These are as follows:

  • Marine studies,
  • Aviation and Aeronautical studies,
  • Automotive,
  • Energy,
  • Space study and Square Kilometer Array,
  • Fourth Industrial revolution and Digitalisation,
  • Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies),
  • Health Studies/Medicine,
  • Feminist, Womanist, Bosadi Theorizations,
  • Student Support and Co-Curricular activities.

Click on the links below for information on Natural Sciences (Biotechnological studies),

 

Results for "Biotechnological or Biotechnology" - Unisa Library resources DISCOVERY

Biotechnological or Biotechnology Scopus Analysis

 

 

Golden oldie

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in Africa : a perspective : review

M.O. Bakare and K.M. Munir

Background: The universal occurrence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) was queried about twenty-six years ago. It was thought to occur only in western industrialized countries with high technological development. Over the last decade, knowledge about ASD and its prevalence has been documented as being on the rise in different regions of the world, with most literature coming from the western world - the situation in Africa on aspects of ASD remain unclear.

Methods: Literature cited in Pubmed over the last decade on aspects of epidemiology, diagnosis, aetiology and knowledge of ASD in the African context were assessed. Results: No study specifically addressed the epidemiology of ASD in Africa. One of the two studies that were relevant addressed epidemiology of ASD in Arab countries, though included two Northern African countries. A higher proportion of non-verbal cases of ASD compared to verbal cases was documented in literature coming from Africa. Associated co-morbid disorders included intellectual disability, epilepsy and oculo-cutaneous albinism. Aetiological factors postulated included post-encephalitic infection, genetic and auto-immune factors, and vitamin D deficiency. Knowledge about ASD in Africa was noted to be low.

Conclusion: There is a need for epidemiological studies in Africa to define the magnitude of the problem of ASD and the characteristics of children affected by ASD in this region. This would help in planning and might be helpful in answering the question of aetiology of ASD. Policy making needs to be directed at issues of childhood developmental disorders in Africa.

Further reading

Mapping the multidimensional trend of generative AI: A bibliometric analysis and qualitative thematic review

, , 

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) represents an increasingly popular topic that is visible even in most research areas within the social sciences and humanities fields. However, little attention has been paid to the knowledge dimensions reflecting the potential macro-social implications of generative technologies.

This study utilizes a two-fold methodology, consisting of a bibliometric analysis of articles published in the last decade (N = 484) and a subsequent qualitative thematic review of the most influential articles in each research area (N = 246).

The objective is to investigate the main conceptual dimensions associated with generative AI in the social sciences. Applying a thematic analysis framework, we notice that the most popular dimensions are technological, ethical, and social. These dimensions primarily focus on investigating the implications of the generative use of AI on employees in professional sectors as well as on students and teachers in the educational environment. Moreover, the political dimension reflects macro-social consequences on governance and legal components related to ensuring social protection for professions that risk becoming obsolete due to the widespread adoption of ChatGPT-type technologies.

Overall, our research emphasizes concrete scholarly tensions through which generative AI-based technologies are predominantly encouraged in the educational and organizational sectors, but the potential risks associated with copyright infringement and job loss might constitute important drivers of social change. We also notice that a Foucauldian power/knowledge framework would prove useful in understanding the underdiscussed effects of generative AI on the societal/macro level.

Looking for upcoming conferences?

If you are looking for forthcoming conferences, the following websites are helpful: