Moving Towards Decolonizing Health Professions Education Research: An Analysis of Global Network Patterns and Equity Implications

Colonialism leaves the remnant in global academic community. Decolonization in research becomes the global agenda to balance the power relations in the community. However, the traditional bibliometric tool cannot capture the power dynamics in the community. This study proposed the utilization of social network analysis (SNA) to examine community architecture for promoting inclusivity in HPE research. We conducted an analysis of peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2024 in leading HPE journals. Co-authorship data were extracted from Scopus, processed at the country level. SNA metrics particularly small world coefficient and centrality were used to assess collaboration structures, integration patterns and power dynamics. From the SNA, we identified an expanding–centralized pattern. We found that research community has globally expanded with the increasing number of contributing countries. However, the overall network structure has remained hierarchical. The small-worldness of the network declined, indicating a growing concentration of power within the network core. This suggests that although new countries have entered the network, power relations have become increasingly centralized rather than distributed toward the periphery. Centrality analysis also revealed that the dominant players have remained consistent throughout the decade. Despite broader participation, the global network remains structurally inequitable, suggesting possible early stage of decolonization. Systemic reforms in research infrastructure, nationally as well as globally, and journal policies are required to enable more inclusivity. SNA provides critical insights into the structural imbalances that must be monitored to guide actions to achieve an equitable global research ecosystem.