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Assessing insularity in global science

Author

Listed:
  • Richard J. Ladle

    (Federal University of Alagoas
    Oxford University)

  • Peter A. Todd

    (National University of Singapore)

  • Ana. C. M. Malhado

    (Federal University of Alagoas)

Abstract

Most scientific research has some form of local geographical bias. This could be caused by researchers addressing a geographically localized issue, working within a nationally or regionally defined research network, or responding to research agendas that are influenced by national policy. These influences should be reflected in citation behavior, e.g., more citations than expected by chance of papers by scientists from institutions within the same country. Thus, assessing adjusted levels of national self-citation may give insights into the extent to which national research agendas and scientific cultures influence the behavior of scientists. Here we develop a simple metric of scientific insularism based on rates of national self citation corrected for total scientific output. Based on recent publications (1996–2010), higher than average levels of insularism are associated with geographically large rapidly developing nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China—the so-called BRIC nations), and countries with strongly ideological political regimes (Iran). Moreover, there is a significant negative correlation between insularism and the average number of citations at the national level. Based on these data we argue that insularism (higher than average levels of national self-citation) may reflect scientific cultures whose priorities and focus are less tightly linked to global scientific norms and agendas. We argue that reducing such insularity is an overlooked challenge that requires policy changes at multiple levels of science education and governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard J. Ladle & Peter A. Todd & Ana. C. M. Malhado, 2012. "Assessing insularity in global science," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 93(3), pages 745-750, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:93:y:2012:i:3:d:10.1007_s11192-012-0703-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-012-0703-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paula Leite & Rogério Mugnaini & Jacqueline Leta, 2011. "A new indicator for international visibility: exploring Brazilian scientific community," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 88(1), pages 311-319, July.
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    1. Juliana Loureiro Almeida Campos & André Sobral & Josivan Soares Silva & Thiago Antonio Sousa Araújo & Washington Soares Ferreira-Júnior & Flávia Rosa Santoro & Gilney Charll Santos & Ulysses Paulino A, 2016. "Insularity and citation behavior of scientific articles in young fields: the case of ethnobiology," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(2), pages 1037-1055, November.
    2. George R. Milne & Begum Kaplan & Kristen L. Walker & Larry Zacharias, 2021. "Connecting with the future: The role of science fiction movies in helping consumers understand privacy‐technology trade‐offs," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 737-762, September.
    3. Paulo Henrique Santos Gonçalves & Thiago Gonçalves-Souza & Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque, 2020. "Chronic anthropogenic disturbances in ecology: a bibliometric approach," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 123(2), pages 1103-1117, May.
    4. Ying Zhang & Cornelia Lawson & Liangping Ding, 2023. "Can scientists remain internationally visible after the return to their home country? A study of Chinese scientists," MIOIR Working Paper Series 2023-01, The Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR), The University of Manchester.
    5. Liyue Chen & Jielan Ding & Vincent Larivière, 2022. "Measuring the citation context of national self‐references," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(5), pages 671-686, May.
    6. Ghada A. Altarawneh & Ahmad B. Hassanat & Ahmad S. Tarawneh & David Carfì & Abdullah Almuhaimeed, 2022. "Fuzzy Win-Win: A Novel Approach to Quantify Win-Win Using Fuzzy Logic," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, March.
    7. Martin Szomszor & David A. Pendlebury & Jonathan Adams, 2020. "How much is too much? The difference between research influence and self-citation excess," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 123(2), pages 1119-1147, May.
    8. Joseph DiGrazia, 2017. "Using Internet Search Data to Produce State-level Measures: The Case of Tea Party Mobilization," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 46(4), pages 898-925, November.
    9. Elizabeth C. Teixeira & Victor E. L. Silva & Nidia N. Fabré & Vandick S. Batista, 2020. "Marine shrimp fisheries research—a mismatch on spatial and thematic needs," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 122(1), pages 591-606, January.

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