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John Mearsheimer’s academic roots: a reference publication year spectroscopy of a political scientist’s oeuvre

Author

Listed:
  • Anton Gruber

    (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)

  • Alexander Tekles

    (Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society
    Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)

  • Lutz Bornmann

    (Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society)

Abstract

John J. Mearsheimer is one of the most renowned theorists of International Relations and is often regarded as one of the primary representatives of the theoretical school of neorealism. To be able to understand and classify his positions, it is necessary to investigate his (theoretical) backgrounds and academic roots. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to analyze the roots of this political scientist with the help of the method Reference Publication Year Spectroscopy (RPYS)—a specific kind of cited reference analysis—using the program CitedReferenceExplorer (CRExplorer). In the statistical analyses, we compiled a list of the most cited works by Mearsheimer and conducted an analysis of temporal peaks in these works. The dataset used for the analyses was taken from the Web of Science database (WoS, Clarivate): 59 publications with 2061 non-distinct cited references. The list of the 16 most frequently cited references in the publication set shows various texts and authors that seem to be important for Mearsheimer’s academic work. Thematic focuses of cited publications as well as the type of publication indicate that the scientist’s respective works and texts are embedded in the corresponding publication periods. The analysis of the peaks in the referenced publication years illustrates the following: On the one hand, the publication years in which Mearsheimer derived his fundamental theory of International Relations can be inferred. On the other hand, later years show his subsequent thematic focuses and his preoccupation with current events and conflicts.

Suggested Citation

  • Anton Gruber & Alexander Tekles & Lutz Bornmann, 2023. "John Mearsheimer’s academic roots: a reference publication year spectroscopy of a political scientist’s oeuvre," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(7), pages 3867-3877, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:128:y:2023:i:7:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04721-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04721-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Grieco, Joseph M., 1988. "Anarchy and the limits of cooperation: a realist critique of the newest liberal institutionalism," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 42(3), pages 485-507, July.
    2. Bornmann, Lutz & Marx, Werner, 2013. "The proposal of a broadening of perspective in evaluative bibliometrics by complementing the times cited with a cited reference analysis," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 7(1), pages 84-88.
    3. Mearsheimer, John J. & Walt, Stephen, 2006. "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy," Working Paper Series rwp06-011, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
    4. Werner Marx & Lutz Bornmann, 2016. "Change of perspective: bibliometrics from the point of view of cited references—a literature overview on approaches to the evaluation of cited references in bibliometrics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(2), pages 1397-1415, November.
    5. Thor, Andreas & Marx, Werner & Leydesdorff, Loet & Bornmann, Lutz, 2016. "Introducing CitedReferencesExplorer (CRExplorer): A program for reference publication year spectroscopy with cited references standardization," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 503-515.
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