Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
of interpretable indicators at detailed levels is not uncommon with co-word maps
and indeed with other types of bibliometric maps as well. In order to interpret
a visualized structure, one has to resort to some substantial levels of domain
knowledge, or at least one has to read some qualitative summaries of the subject.
In fact, it is advisable to consult a good review article to double-check the validity
of interpretations along the map. In this example, Steinberg himself was an expert on
the topic of RISC and he incorporated his domain knowledge into the interpretation
of co-word maps generated from abstracts. Researchers in quantitative studies
of science have also recommended a multiple-approach strategy - to the same
phenomenon with a few different methods - so that one can compare and contrast
results from different perspectives and piece together a big picture. If mapping the
paradigm shift with one single technique is like the blind men approaching the
elephant, combining different techniques may lead to a more accurate model of
the elephant. Next, we turn to co-citation analysis, which is another major approach
that has been used for science mapping.
5.3
Co-Citation Analysis
Citation analysis takes into account one of the most crucial indicators of scholar-
ship - citations. Citation analysis has a unique position in the history of science
mapping because several widely used analytical methods have been developed to
extract citation patterns from scientific literature and these citation patterns can
provide insightful knowledge of an invisible college. Traditionally, both philosophy
of science and sociology of knowledge have a strong impact on citation analysis.
Opponents of citation analysis criticize its approach influenced by the idea of invis-
ible colleges and scientific communities, and argue that the way science operates is
far beyond the scope of citation practices (Callon et al.
1986
). However, this issue
cannot be simply settled by theoretical arguments. Longitudinal studies and large-
scale domain analysis can provide insightful answers, but they tend to be very time-
consuming and resource demanding. In practice, researchers have been exploring
frameworks that can accommodate both co-word analysis and co-citation analysis
(Braam et al.
1991a
,
b
). These efforts may provide additional insights into the philo-
sophical and sociological debates. Document co-citation analysis (DCA) and author
co-citation analysis (ACA) represent the two most prolific mainstream approaches
to co-citation analysis. Here we first introduce DCA and then explain ACA.
5.3.1
Document Co-Citation Analysis
Citation indexing provides a device for researchers to track the history of advances
in science and technology. One can trace a network of citations to find out the history
and evolution of a chain of articles on a particular topic. The goal of citation analysis
is to make the structure of such a network more recognizable and more accessible.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search