Small, H. 2010. Maps of science as interdisciplinary discourse: co-citation contexts and the role of analogy. SCIENTOMETRICS 83 (3): 835-849

[Eugene Garfield]

Small, H. 2010. Maps of science as interdisciplinary discourse: co-citation 
contexts and the role of analogy. SCIENTOMETRICS 83 (3): 835-849.

Author Full Name(s): Small, Henry
Language: English
Document Type: Article

Author Keywords: Interdisciplinarity; Maps of science; Co-citation contexts; 
Analogy; Cue word analysis
KeyWords Plus: CITATION; SIMULATION; CLUSTERS

Abstract: Interdisciplinarity can be manifest in many forms: through 
collaboration or communication between scientists working in different fields or 
through the work of individual scientists who employ concepts or methods 
across disciplines. This latter form of interdisciplinarity is addressed here with 
the goal of understanding how ideas in different fields come together to create 
new opportunities for discovery. Maps of science are used to suggest possible 
interdisciplinary links which are then analyzed by co-citation context analysis. 
Interdisciplinary links are identified by juxtaposing a clustering and mapping of 
documents against a journal-based categorization of the same document 
clusters. Links between clusters are characterized as interdisciplinary based on 
the dissonance of their category assignments. To verify and probe more deeply 
into the meaning of interdisciplinary links, co-citation contexts for selected links 
from five separate cases are analyzed in terms of prominent cue words. This 
analysis reveals that interdisciplinary connections are often based on authors' 
perceptions of analogous problems across scientific domains. Cue words drawn 
from the citation contexts also suggest that these connections are viewed as 
important and ripe with both opportunity and risk.

Addresses: Thomson Reuters, Philadelphia, PA 19130 USA
Reprint Address: Small, H, Thomson Reuters, 1500 Spring Garden St, 
Philadelphia, PA 19130 USA.

E-mail Address: henry.small at thomsonreuters.com
ISSN: 0138-9130
DOI: 10.1007/s11192-009-0121-z
Fulltext: http://www.springerlink.com/content/fq512j87264x1203/