A Network Analysis of Interdisciplinary Research Relationships: the Korean Government’s R&D Grant

Program

Chang Hoon Yang, Ph.D.

Department of Public AdministrationKwandong University

Table of Contents Research Object

Underlying Assumptions

Methodological Approach

Related Studies

Utilization of Network Analysis

Implications and Discussion

Research Object Examines network topologies of interdisciplinary

research relationships in S&T

Investigates the relational linkages between the interdisciplinary relations and the quality of research performance

2002-2004 KOSEF General Research Grant program [ 중견연구자사업 중 핵심연구 ( 공동 ) 사업 ]

Network method - matrix of the co-occurrence of research fields in the classification of research articles

Underlying Assumptions Individual scientists

No longer independent components of a national system of research, technology, and innovation

Competitive advantage could be secured through cooperative partnerships Exchange various levels of scientific and technological

capabilities and expertise Produce new scientific output classified into more than

one field

Cooperative research activities as a means to enhance capacity building among actors foster interdisciplinary linkages among research fields in

the integrated S&T arena

Methodological Approach Forms of relationships constituting networks

Clusters of research fields relating to each other Interdisciplinary structure emerging between research fields

Basis for a relational linking process co-occurrence of classifications of articles

Network analytical tools A field co-occurrence mapping method comparing similarities in research profiles of co-authored

articles

Related Studies Archibugi & Pianta (1992)

Patent counts and citations for measuring technological specialization profiles

Braun, Gomez, Mendez, Schubert (1992) Co-authorship patterns in a scientific discipline and its subfields

Bonitz, Bruckner, Scharnhorst (1993) Publication output structure of countries and clusters of countries with

similar structures

Glanzel & Schubert (2003) Subject categories for retrieving discipline information

Cummings & Kiesler (2005) Project with PI from more than one discipline

Leydesdorff (2008) Co-classification analysis using patent portfolio

Utilization of Network Analysis Dataset

Characterizing interdependent research activities

1,108 articles published in SCI-listed journals and funded by GRG program

Contained one area of PI specialization (=PI-based subject category)

JCR-based field classification for articles (=research field)

Two-mode Matrix of co-occurrence Row: research field (99 observations) Column: PI-based subject category (51 observations)

Nodes: research fields be linked if they contain the same PI-based subject category

Interdisciplinary network : Rk = 1 if Rij:k = 1 and 0 otherwise

Rij:k number of articles where research field i and j classify in the same PI-based subject category k

Symmetric one-mode matrix for research fields by multiplying two-mode matrix by its transposes

Analytical Techniques Interdisciplinary relations weighted by the location of interdisciplinary

research fields

Cohesion length of shortest path between two nodes Number of relations in the shortest possible relations from one research

field to another

Centrality the extent to which nodes are connected to other nodes Degree: number of interdisciplinary relations created across the research

fields Betweenness: the extent to which a particular research field lies as an

intermediary between other interdisciplinary research fields

Egocentric network Degree to which particular research fields are involved in a network at the

single level Topologies of networks in which single research fields are bound with their

neighboring research fields

Analytical Techniques (cont’d) Understanding the extent to which topologies of

interdisciplinary networks in different research fields are related to research quality

Correlation between degree centrality and the relative impact factor (RIF)

RIF : a journal’s place and impact within a specific discipline as (A/B)*100, A is rank of a journal within a specific subject

category and B is number of journals belonging to the specific subject category

Assess quality of interdisciplinary research supported by GRG program

Example: Network centralization in interdisciplinary relations

Example: Egocentric network of chemistry, multidisciplinary

Example: Relationship between research collaboration and research productivity

Degree centrality (log x) versus RIF (y)

Implications & Discussion

End of Presentation

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