Personal Research Database

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 39.pdf

Abstract: This study of multinational publication (publications involving authors from more than one country) focuses on a viable method of fractionation, which can be used in on-line bibliometric research. Fractionation occurs when the credit for co-authored papers is added only partially to the total of publications of countries or authors. We attempted to find an empirical relation between the share of a country’s papers in some field that is multinationally co-authored and the degree of fractionation which results. A linear regression analysis yielded a significant correlation of -0.95. The fractionation method is the first that can be applied to publication data collected on-line. A comparison is made with fractionation by first author (i.e., first address) counting. Application of the method to British scientific output for 1984-1989 suggests that British output was stable. The fractionation method can be applied to both natural and life sciences and to social and behavioral sciences. Findings suggest that similar processes of multinational publication are prevalent in both types of science. Implications of the model are discussed.

Keywords: Analysis, Bibliometric, Bibliometric Assessment, Bibliometric Research, Collaboration, Comparison, Cooperation, First, Life, Life Sciences, Model, Modeling, Papers, Performance, Publication, Publications, Regression Analysis, Research, Science, Sciences, Scientific Output

? Milman, B.L. and Gavrilova, Y.A. (1993), Analysis of citation and co-citation in chemical engineering. Scientometrics, 27 (1), 53-74.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 53.pdf

Abstract: This paper presents the results of the citation study in 24 leading journals on chemical engineering for 1987. The selective methodology or the analysis of co-citation limited only to this discipline is based on relatively low thresholds of citation and co-citation. The established research fronts refer mostly to basic research. The flow of information and knowledge to chemical engineering is determined to the extent of 70-90% by the works in this very field, as is indicated by the analysis of citations. The geography of research fronts was determined. The USSR has a very low fraction of frontal papers. This can be explained by the publication of papers in Russian and by a large number of secondary and applied research. This type of research is revealed by frequent citation of books and a small fraction of highly cited papers.

Keywords: Analysis, Citation, Citations, Clusters, Co-Citation, Cocitation, Collagen Research, Combined Cocitation, Information, Journals, Knowledge, Methodology, Papers, Policy, Publication, Research, Research Fronts, Science, Scientific Literatures, Small, Specialties, Subfields, Thresholds, Word Analysis

Notes: MModel

Coleman, S.R. (1993), Bradford distributions of social-science bibliographies varying in definitional homogeneity. Scientometrics, 27 (1), 75-91.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 75.pdf

Abstract: Six social-science bibliographies were ranked along a complex ordinal dimension of the ‘homogeneity’ of (1) the defining criteria for including items in a bibliography or (2) the disciplinary source(s) of the literature. The most homogeneous bibliography exhibited the classic linearity of the graphic form of Bradford’s Law, but the most heterogeneous bibliographies exhibited concavity in their graphic display. The lower the overall article/journal density in a bibliography, the greater the curvature (concavity) of its Bradford plot. Results were discussed in relation to the generalizability of Bradford’s Law and to differences between scholarly practices in the social and natural sciences.

Keywords: Bibliographies, Criteria, History, Literature, Lotka Law, Psychology, Sciences, Zipf

? Harsanyi, M.A. and Harter, S.P. (1993), Ecclesiastes effects. Scientometrics, 27 (1), 93-96.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 93.pdf

Abstract: The reward system in science involves several psychosocial processes that can be named after books in the Bible: Merton proposed the “Matthew Effect” and Turner and Chubin offered the “Ecclesiastes Hypothesis,” based on relevant biblical passages. This article identifies several other bibliometric phenomena described in Ecclesiastes, including an explanation of why there is a multiplication of specializations in disciplines with growing literatures.

Keywords: bibliometric/explanation/science

? Vinkler, P. (1993), Percentage patent representation (PPR) bilateral patent balance (BPB) and patent dominancy (PD) indicators characterizing international patenting relations. Scientometrics, 27 (1), 97-103.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 97.pdf

Abstract: In order to characterize the integration of countries into the world intellectual property network some indicators are offered. Percentage Patent Representation (PPR) gives the percentage share of patents granted to the inventors of a given country in the total number of patents granted to all foreign patentees. The ratio of PPR indices for two countries yields the Bilateral Patent Balance (BPB) indicator, which is characteristic of a mutual patent representation. Patent Dominancy (PD) index is the number of BPB indices higher than unity for a set of countries. PD indices can be related to GDP and growth of export values.

Keywords: Growth, Indicator, Indicators, Integration, Intellectual Property, Network, Patent, Patents, Representation, United-States

Saavedra, F., Mackenzie, M.R., Pessot, R. and Krauskopf, M. (1993), Size and aging of the scientific community in Chile. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 105-117.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 105.pdf

Abstract: The size and ageing of the Chilean scientific community was studied using as data the individuals actively engaged in research projects funded by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (FONDECYT). Between 1982 and 1991, 4966 individuals participated at least once, either as responsible for the research or as qualified associate in one term of the funding period. From this population, 2765 persons can be considered further committed with scientific research. As for sex, about 30% of the researchers are women. Taking into account all the disciplines, and in addition to the fact that the size of the Chilean scientific community seems to be subcritical, the study reveals that the workforce has been ageing dangerously through the years. The number of young scientists becoming part of the scientific work-force is decreasing. Research in mathematics, physics and chemistry, although qualitatively competitive, relies only on an extremely small group of excellent scientists, situation which is seriously affecting the scientific capacity that the country needs. Biology, although with a higher number of individuals, exhibits a pattern of ageing which will also affects the possibilities to strengthen the scientific demands. The global context in which science develops, leads to a brain drain that Third World countries will have to overcome, implementing public policies to offer the support that young people require to nurture the scientific strength. Indigenous Ph. D. programs demand urgent attention of policy decision makers as well as from research universities which need to offer opportunities to substitute, when existing, their incompetent faculty.

Keywords: Ageing, Brain, Capacity, Chemistry, Chile, Community, Demand, Facts, Faculty, Figures, Needs, Newest Version, Policy, Policy Decision, Population, Productivity, Publication Output, Relative Citation Impact, Research, Science, Scientific Research, Scientometric Indicators, Sex, Size, Small, United-States, Universities, Women

? Cambrosio, A., Limoges, C., Courtial, J. and Laville, F. (1993), Historical scientometrics? Mapping over 70 years of biological safety research with co-word analysis. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 119-143.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 119.pdf

Abstract: This paper relates the results of a co-word analysis of over 70 years of biological safety literature. The database used in this project is the Songer Safety Bibliography (SSB) which lists around 17,000 references. The results show biological safety to be a very fragmented field, characterized by the existence of several relatively independent foci of interest, none of which has been able to structure the field into a tight network. Early periods of activity were marked by the construction of the basic tools of biological safety practices. Those tools became a ‘robust package’ which, in more recent periods, was used routinely. While the safety problems related to recombinant DNA research have received much attention in the general press, they do not seem to occupy a prominent place within the biological safety literature, at least the one compiled in SSB.

Keywords: Analysis, Database, DNA, Literature, Network, Research, Safety, Scientometrics, Structure

Garg, K.C., Sharma, P. and Sharma, L. (1993), Bradford’s law in relation to the evolution of a field: A case study of solar power research. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 145-156.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 145.pdf

Abstract: Based on the data of growth of literature in the field of solar power, the present paper investigates the stage of evolution at which the scattering of articles over journals is similar to Bradford’s curve, i.e. the stage at which Bradford’s law is valid. Traces the related changes that take place in the size and elements of the core during the evolution and growth of literature. The study reveals that a curve similar to Bradford’s curve is obtained when the field matures. The finding has been supported with the help of a simple mathematical model.

Keywords: Changes, Evolution, Growth, Journals, Law, Literature, Mathematical Model, Model, Scattering, Size

Nots: UUniversity

Nederhof, A.J., Meijer, R.F., Moed, H.F. and Vanraan, A.F.J. (1993), Research performance indicators for university departments: A study of an agricultural university. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 157-178.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 157.pdf

Abstract: The present bibliometric study extends previous work by focusing on the research performance of departments in the natural and life sciences, the social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities. The present study covers all 70 departments from one agricultural university, and several veterinary departments of a second university. The impact analysis was extended by including other types of documents than journal articles. For about a third of the departments, publications not covered in citation indexes accounted for at least 30% of the citations to their total oeuvre. To deal with different citation and publication habits in the various fields, both short-term and medium-term impact assessments were made. The commonly used three year window is not universally applicable, as our results show. The inclusion of self-citations forms an important source of error in the ratio of actual, expected impact. To cope with this, the trend and level of self- citations was compared at university level with that in a matched sample of publications. Moreover, at a departmental level, self-citation rates were used to detect departments with divergent levels of self-citation. The expected impact of journals accounted for only 18% of the variance in actual impact. Comparison of bibliometric indicators with two peer evaluations showed that the bibliometric impact analyses provided important additional information

Keywords: Analysis, Bibliometric, Bibliometric Indicators, Bibliometric Study, Citation, Citation Indexes, Citations, Economics, Error, Humanities, Impact Analysis, Indicators, Information, Journal, Journal Articles, Journals, Life, Life Sciences, Publication, Publications, Research, Research Performance, Sciences, Self-Citation, University, Veterinary, Work

? Pichappan, P. (1993), Identification of mainstream journals of science speciality - A method using the discipline-contribution score. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 179-193.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 179.pdf

Abstract: He and Pao’s method of identifying specific discipline journals is improved by adding the citing impact factor and self-citing rate. The proposed indicator strikes a balance by discounting the size of a discipline. And also this indicator paves the way to identify the constituent journals of a discipline. This method was tested in Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy and Astrophysics. The findings lead to the rethinking about the inclusion of many journals in these fields.

Keywords: Bibliometric Indicators, Citation Measures, Impact, Impact Factor, Indicator, Journals, Lead, Model, Physics, Reliability, Scientific Journals, Selection, Size, Subfields

? Egghe, L. (1993), On the influence of growth on obsolescence. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 195-214.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 195.pdf

Abstract: In many papers, the influence of growth on obsolescence is studied but a formal model for such an influence has not been constructed. In this paper, we develop such a model and find different results for the synchronous and for the diachronous study. We prove that, in the synchronous case, an increase of growth implies an increase of the obsolescence, while, in the diachronous case, exactly the opposite mechanism is found. Exact proofs are given, based on the exponential models for growth as well as obsolescence. We leave open a more general theory.

Keywords: Growth, Mechanism, Model, Models, Obsolescence, Papers, Theory

Nagpaul, P.S. and Pant, N. (1993), Cross-national assessment of specialization patterns in chemistry. Scientometrics, 27 (2), 215-235.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 215.pdf

Abstract: In this study, the specialization profiles of eleven countries are compared along two interconnected but distinct dimensions of research, viz. publication output and citation impact in nine subfields of chemistry. The data for comparative analysis were taken from Scientometric Datafiles. 1 Since raw counts of publications and citations are confounded by the size of the countries and the size of subject fields, cross-national comparison is made, using relative indicators - activity index and attractivity index. The subfields of relative strength and weakness for these countries are identified from the values of these indicators. The similarity structure of specialization profiles of the eleven countries is mapped, using hierarchical cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling. This mapping leads to the representation of chemistry as it is structured by the dynamics of national science policies of these countries.

Keywords: Analysis, Chemistry, Citation, Citations, Cluster Analysis, Comparison, Dynamics, Fields, Indicators, Output, Publication, Publications, Representation, Research, Scaling, Science, Similarity, Size, Structure

? Martens, B. and Saretzki, T. (1993), Conferences and courses on biotechnology - Describing scientific communication by exploratory methods. Scientometrics, 27 (3), 237-260.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 237.pdf

Abstract: The importance of conferences, courses, workshops, and other kinds of scientific meetings is still growing, especially in highly dynamic or multidisciplinary fields of knowledge. Since these meetings are usually the first occasion of communicating scientific findings, it seems worthwhile to use data on conferences in order to depict trends in science and technology, at an early point of time. Nevertheless, only a few studies on these types of scientific and technological communication were undertaken until now. One prominent example for the relevance of conferences and for the necessity of some monitoring is the field of the “new” biotechnology. We followed a “conference approach” by using data on 4.674 meetings that took place in the time span 1984-90. Content analytic methods (a coding scheme of 70 categories) seemed to be appropriate, according to the textual type of data (information about the meetings, mostly programs). Distributions of categories show specific features and multiple correspondence analyses of concatenated Burt matrices of the categories. differentiated to the years provide a broad overview of biotechnological conferences and other types of meetings in the eighties. Connections between fields of knowledge and applications or certain characteristics of the meetings can be summarized in five clusters of features which are relatively stable within the time frame of investigation.

Keywords: Biotechnology, Coding, Communication, Conferences, First, Information, Investigation, Knowledge, Methods, Multidisciplinary, Relevance, Science, Science and Technology, Technology, Trends, Workshops

? Mulford, C.L., Waldnerhaugrud, L. and Gajbhiye, H. (1993), Variables associated with agricultural scientists work alienation and publication productivity. Scientometrics, 27 (3), 261-282.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 261.pdf

Abstract: This study focuses on work alienation and publication productivity of agricultural scientists in two international research centers. Previous research has been criticized because the variables emphasized have typically been poorly correlated with publication productivity. Additionally, although work alienation of professionals has received considerable attention in the literature, seldom has it been included in empirical studies of publication productivity. Results indicate two perceptions of structure, centralization and formalization, are significantly correlated with work alienation, but less so with publication productivity. Work alienation is significantly, but modestly, correlated with publication productivity. In a multiple regression analysis, work alienation proved to be less important than perceived centralization. Implications for supervisors of scientific staffs include inducing the layers of hierarchy and empowering staff by giving them a voice in research goals and organizational operations.

Keywords: Analysis, Formalization, International, Literature, Publication, Regression Analysis, Research, Structure, Work

? Steinberg, J.J. (1993), The state of biomedical radiation research as demonstrated by publications, funding and manpower activity - An analytical example of utilizing online medical informatics. Scientometrics, 27 (3), 283-294.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 283.pdf

Abstract: The biomedical radiation research community has important goals. Research, risk assessment, preventative health and safety are some of its responsibilities. It is surprising that radiation research is growing only at 70% of the yearly MEDLINE database. Funding is predictably underfunded (89% of expected) given its high percentage of research with animals and cells (127% (MEDLINE = 100%)) vs. radiation’s lower percentage of human studies (60%). Manpower studies demonstrate 4500 Ph.D.’s since 1960. 50% are in physics, 17% chemistry, and 11% biology. Biochemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, genetics, pathology and psychology contribute less than 3%. These indicators show activity in radiation research, yet deficits.

Keywords: Assessment, Biology, Biomedical, Chemistry, Community, Database, Genetics, Health, Human, Indicators, Journals, Microbiology, Oncology, Pathology, Psychology, Radiation, Research, Responsibilities, Risk, Risk Assessment, Safety

? Sylvain, C. (1993), Canadian research activity in aquaculture: A bibliometric analysis. Scientometrics, 27 (3), 295-316.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 295.pdf

Abstract: Analysis of the Canadian publications in the field of aquaculture reveals that Canada is one of the word’s major contributors in this area. This confirms that Canada’s experties in science and technology often finds its stimulus in its resource-based industries. Several bibliometric indicators were used to enlighten the peculiar features of the Canadian research system. These include the channels of communication used by scientists, the authorship pattern, the level of collaboration, the identification of the institutions in which the research is performed and the uneven research effort distribution inside the country. The relevance of such quantitative measures for science policy-making is emphasized. The present study shows how bibliometric analysis, by describing the actual strengths and weaknesses of Canadian research and identifying the agents of this research activity, might foster a better understanding of the Canadian research enterprise as a whole.

Keywords: Analysis, Authorship, Bibliometric, Bibliometric Analysis, Bibliometric Indicators, Canada, Collaboration, Communication, Countries, Identification, Indicators, Institutions, Journals, Publications, Quality, Relevance, Research, Science, Science and Technology, Technology, Understanding

? Lewison, G., Fawcettjones, A. and Kessler, C. (1993), Latin-American scientific output 1986-91 and international co- authorship patterns. Scientometrics, 27 (3), 317-336.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics27, 317.pdf

Abstract: Results are presented of a study covering 1986-91 of the scientific output of Latin American nations. The distribution of the output within the countries is shown: in most countries there is a high concentration in the national capital. The papers co-authored with scientists from other countries are also examined. There has been a notable rise in both the number and proportion of papers co-authored within the region, with the USA and Canada, and, especially, with the countries of the European Community, where a programme of International Scientific Co-operation, to promote just such links, has been active since the mid-1980s in many Latin American countries.

Keywords: Canada, Countries, Nations, Papers, Sciences, Scientific Output, Universities, USA

Notes: CCountry

? Rousseau, R. (1993), Measuring concentration - Sampling design issues, as illustrated by the case of perfectly stratified samples. Scientometrics, 28 (1), 3-14.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics28, 3.pdf

Abstract: Using the artificial example of perfectly stratified samples, we have shown the effect different sampling designs have on the determination of concentration values. More concretely, we have studied the following four cases: sampling of items in the case the number of sources is known (we have further considered the cases when there are ‘many’ items in every source and when this is not so), sampling of items in the case the number of sources is unknown, and finally, sampling of sources.

? Luukkonen, T., Tijssen, R.J.W., Persson, O. and Sivertsen, G. (1993), The measurement of international scientific collaboration. Scientometrics, 28 (1), 15-36.

Full Text: 1993\Scientometrics28, 15.pdf

Abstract: A growing science policy interest in international scientific collaboration has brought about a multitude of studies which attempt to measure the extent of international scientific collaboration between countries and to explore intercountry collaborative networks. This paper attempts to clarify the methodology that is being used or can be used for this purpose and discusses the adequacy of the methods. The paper concludes that, in an analysis of collaborative links, it is essential to use both absolute and relative measures. The latter normalize differences in country size. Each yields a different type of information. Absolute measures yield an answer to questions such as which countries are central in the international network of science, whether collaborative links reveal a centre - periphery relationship, and which countries are the most important collaborative partners of another country. Relative measures provide answers to questions of the intensity of collaborative links.

Keywords: Analysis, Collaboration, Cooperation, Information, International, Methodology, Methods, Network, Policy, Science, Science Policy, Scientific Collaboration, Size

? Okubo, Y. (1993), Comments on some of the statements in the article - The measurement of international scientific collaboration by Luukkonen, T., Tijssen, R.J.W., Persson, O., Sivertsen, G. Scientometrics,