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Measuring destabilization and consolidation in scientific knowledge evolution

Author

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  • Jiexun Li

    (Western Washington University)

  • Jiyao Chen

    (Oregon State University)

Abstract

The dynamic process of knowledge evolution can be divided into two routes: (1) new knowledge is cumulatively built upon past scientific achievements, and (2) the new replaces the old in a non-cumulative fashion. While existing measures such as citation counts are central to assessing the impact of articles and the viability of research streams, they do not quantify the two routes of knowledge evolution. In this research we develop two indexes, destabilization (D) and consolidation (C), that measure the effects that an article may have on the subsequent use of its predecessors—whether it consolidates or destabilizes the existing literature in terms of the influences on its predecessors’ future usage. Using a dataset of 45,616 papers from 24 premium business journals, this study shows that the D and C indexes are complementary to the citation count to measure the impact of a scientific article and capture the two directions of knowledge evolution.

Suggested Citation

  • Jiexun Li & Jiyao Chen, 2022. "Measuring destabilization and consolidation in scientific knowledge evolution," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(10), pages 5819-5839, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:127:y:2022:i:10:d:10.1007_s11192-022-04479-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04479-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Naudé, Wim, 2024. "Is the Scholarly Field of Entrepreneurship at Its End?," IZA Discussion Papers 16916, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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