McCain KW, Verner JM, Hislop GW, Evanco W, Cole V "The use of bibliometric and Knowledge Elicitation techniques to map a knowledge domain: Software Engineering in the 1990s " SCIENTOMETRICS 65 (1): 131-144 OCT 2005

[Eugene Garfield]

E-mail Addresses: Kate.McCain at cis.drexel.edu

Title: The use of bibliometric and Knowledge Elicitation techniques to map
a knowledge domain: Software Engineering in the 1990s

Author(s): McCain KW, Verner JM, Hislop GW, Evanco W, Cole V

Source: SCIENTOMETRICS 65 (1): 131-144 OCT 2005

Document Type: Article
Language: English
Cited References: 20      Times Cited: 0

Abstract: Parallel mappings of the intellectual and cognitive structure of
Software Engineering (SE) were conducted using Author Cocitation Analysis
(ACA), PFNet Analysis, and card sorting, a Knowledge Elicitation (KE)
method. Cocitation counts for 60 prominent SE authors over the period 1990 -
 1997 were gathered from SCISEARCH. Forty-six software engineers provided
similar data by sorting authors' names into labeled piles. At the 8 cluster
level, ACA and KE identified similar author clusters representing key areas
of SE research and application, though the KE labels suggested some
differences between the way that the authors' works were used and how they
were perceived by respondents. In both maps, the clusters were arranged
along a horizontal axis moving from "micro" to "macro" level R&D activities
(correlation of X axis coordinates = 0.73). The vertical axis of the two
maps differed (correlation of Y axis coordinates = -0.08). The Y axis of
the ACA map pointed to a continuum of high to low formal content in
published work, whereas the Y axis of the KE map was anchored at the bottom
by "generalist" authors and at the top by authors identified with a single,
highly specific and consistent specialty. The PFNet of the raw ACA counts
identified Boehm, Basili, and Booch as central figures in subregions of the
network with Boehm being connected directly or through a single intervening
author with just over 50% of the author set. The ACA and KE combination
provides a richer picture of the knowledge domain and provide useful cross-
validation.

Addresses: McCain KW (reprint author), Drexel Univ, Coll Informat Sci &
Technol, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
Drexel Univ, Coll Informat Sci & Technol, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
Natl ICT Australia, Sydney, NSW Australia
Interlace Corp, Princeton, NJ USA

E-mail Addresses: Kate.McCain at cis.drexel.edu

Publisher: SPRINGER, VAN GODEWIJCKSTRAAT 30, 3311 GZ DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS
Subject Category: COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS;
INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
IDS Number: 959IV
ISSN: 0138-9130


Cited References:
BAGERT DJ, 2003, SOFTWARE ENG.
BAUER FL, 1972, INFORMATION PROCESSI, P71.
BORGATTI SP, 2002, UNCINET 6 WINDOWS.
BORNER K, 2003, ANNU REV INFORM SCI, V37, P179.
BUZYDLOWSKI JW, 2002, LECT NOTES COMPUT SC, V2539, P133.
BUZYDLOWSKI JW, 2003, THESIS DREXEL U.
COOKE NJ, 1994, INT J HUM-COMPUT ST, V41, P801.
FAIRLEY R, 1985, SOFTWARE ENG CONCEPT.
HJORLAND B, 1995, J AM SOC INFORM SCI, V46, P400.
HUBERT L, 1976, BRIT J MATH STAT PSY, V29, P190.
MARION LS, 2001, J AM SOC INF SCI TEC, V52, P297.
MCCAIN KW, 1986, J AM SOC INFORM SCI, V37, P111.
MCCAIN KW, 1988, J AM SOC INFORM SCI, V39, P428.
MCCAIN KW, 1990, J AM SOC INFORM SCI, V41, P433.
MILLER GA, 1969, J MATH PSYCHOL, V6, P169.
SOMMERVILLE I, 2001, SOFTWARE ENG.
VERNER JM, 2001, J SYST SOFTWARE, V59, P99.
WHITE HD, 1990, SCHOLARLY COMMUNICAT, P84.
WHITE HD, 1997, ANNU REV INFORM SCI, V32, P99.
WHITE HD, 2003, J AM SOC INF SCI TEC, V54, P423.