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Can applied science be ‘good science’? Exploring the relationship between patent citations and citation impact in nanoscience

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  • M. Meyer

    (University of Sussex
    KU Leuven
    KU Leuven)

  • K. Debackere

    (KU Leuven
    KU Leuven)

  • W. Glänzel

    (KU Leuven
    KU Leuven)

Abstract

There is a rich literature on how science and technology are related to each other. Patent citation analysis is amongst the most frequently used to tool to track the strengths of links. In this paper we explore the relationship between patent citations and citation impact in nanoscience. Our observations indicate that patent-cited papers perform better in terms of standard bibliometric indicators than comparable publications that are not linked to technology in this way. More specifically, we found that articles cited in patents are more likely to be cited also by other papers. The share of highly cited papers is the most striking result. Instead of the average of 4% of all papers, 13.8% of the papers cited once or twice in patents fall into this category and even 23.5% of the papers more frequently cited in patents receive citation rates far above the standard. Our analyses further demonstrate the presence and the relevance of bandwagon effects driving the development of science and technology.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Meyer & K. Debackere & W. Glänzel, 2010. "Can applied science be ‘good science’? Exploring the relationship between patent citations and citation impact in nanoscience," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 85(2), pages 527-539, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:85:y:2010:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-009-0154-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-009-0154-3
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    5. Xu, Haiyun & Winnink, Jos & Yue, Zenghui & Liu, Ziqiang & Yuan, Guoting, 2020. "Topic-linked innovation paths in science and technology," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 14(2).
    6. Xiaoling Sun & Kun Ding, 2018. "Identifying and tracking scientific and technological knowledge memes from citation networks of publications and patents," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(3), pages 1735-1748, September.
    7. Huang, Mu-Hsuan & Huang, Wei-Tzu & Chen, Dar-Zen, 2014. "Technological impact factor: An indicator to measure the impact of academic publications on practical innovation," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 241-251.
    8. Qingjun Zhao & Jiancheng Guan, 2012. "Modeling the dynamic relation between science and technology in nanotechnology," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 90(2), pages 561-579, February.
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    10. Benatti, Alexandre & Ferraz de Arrruda, Henrique & Nascimento Silva, Filipi & da Fontoura Costa, Luciano, 2021. "Enriching and analyzing small citation networks: A case study on transistor’s history," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 573(C).
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