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Searching for converging research using field to field citations

Author

Listed:
  • Reindert K. Buter

    (Leiden University)

  • Ed. C. M. Noyons

    (Leiden University)

  • Anthony F. J. Raan

    (Leiden University)

Abstract

We define converging research as the emergence of an interdisciplinary research area from fields that did not show interdisciplinary connections before. This paper presents a process to search for converging research using journal subject categories as a proxy for fields and citations to measure interdisciplinary connections, as well as an application of this search. The search consists of two phases: a quantitative phase in which pairs of citing and cited fields are located that show a significant change in number of citations, followed by a qualitative phase in which thematic focus is sought in publications associated with located pairs. Applying this search on publications from the Web of Science published between 1995 and 2005, 38 candidate converging pairs were located, 27 of which showed thematic focus, and 20 also showed a similar focus in the other, reciprocal pair.

Suggested Citation

  • Reindert K. Buter & Ed. C. M. Noyons & Anthony F. J. Raan, 2011. "Searching for converging research using field to field citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 86(2), pages 325-338, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:86:y:2011:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-010-0246-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-010-0246-0
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    2. Matthias Potthoff & Fabian Zimmermann, 2017. "Is there a gender-based fragmentation of communication science? An investigation of the reasons for the apparent gender homophily in citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 112(2), pages 1047-1063, August.
    3. Stanley D. Brunn, 2014. "Cyberspace Knowledge Gaps and Boundaries in Sustainability Science: Topics, Regions, Editorial Teams and Journals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(10), pages 1-28, September.
    4. Yan, Erjia & Ding, Ying & Cronin, Blaise & Leydesdorff, Loet, 2013. "A bird's-eye view of scientific trading: Dependency relations among fields of science," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 249-264.
    5. J. A. García & Rosa Rodriguez-Sánchez & J. Fdez-Valdivia & Nicolas Robinson-García & Daniel Torres-Salinas, 2014. "Best-in-class and strategic benchmarking of scientific subject categories of Web of Science in 2010," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 99(3), pages 615-630, June.
    6. Pim Vugteveen & Rob Lenders & Peter Van den Besselaar, 2014. "The dynamics of interdisciplinary research fields: the case of river research," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 100(1), pages 73-96, July.

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