Predecessors, Scholars and Researchers in Information

Sciences. Contribution to Methodology for

Bibliometrics Analysis of Scientific Paradigms

Đilda Pečarić (dpecaric@ffzg.hr)Prof. dr. Miroslav Tuđman (mtudman@ffzg.hr)

The University of ZagrebFaculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of Information SciencesIvana Lučića 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

The Future of Information Sciences, INFuture 2009, 4 – 6 November 2009.

Objectives of analysis

• Development of Information Science– Development of Information

Science paradigm – Alterations of dominant authors

in information science from 1978 to 2007

– New approach for understanding of scientific paradigm by bibliometric analysis

Approach to analysis: most cited authors

• empirical display of dominant authors within scientific paradigm: – empirical knowledge zone,– conceptual knowledge zone and – research front zone

• alterations of dominant authors across three time periods

• To display of most cited authors and publications in information systems, museology and information science.

Research subject

• biblometric analysis of doctoral dissertations in Information Science at Croatian Universities (1978-2007)– doctoral dissertations are

original scientific publications which are using up to date world key literature

Data about dissertation

• from 1978 to 2007 at Croatian universities 134 doctoral dissertations were done in seven different disciplines: – information systems: 53 – communicology: 22 – information science: 21 – librarianship: 20– museology: 9 – archivistics and documentation: 8 – lexicography: 1

Methodology

• Cluster analysis • Citation “half-life” • Communication zones based on nature

of citation usage :– empirical knowledge zone – research front zone – conceptual knowledge zone

Citation frequency and knowledge zones

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 91011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950

Age of literature

Cita

tion

freq

uenc

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Overall citation frequency Croatian language Foreign languages Author with citation frequency one

t/4 t/2 t

conceptual knowledge

zone

empirical knowledge

zone

research

front

Methodology

• analysis of relationships between authors in research and in conceptual knowledge zones indicates that it is possible to identify three different groups of authors:– Predecessors– Scholars– Researchers

The Most Cited Authors in Information Science Disciplines

The Most Cited Authors in Museology• The number of all cited authors in

museology is 1279:– There are 972, or 76% of authors that

are cited only once in museology– 51.9 % of documents are cited only

once– 22 of the most cited authors make only

1.7%• 22 authors hold 10.2% of citations from

overall number of cited documents in museology

• almost 1/5 of all multiple citations hold 1.7%, that is, 22 most cited authors

The Most Cited Authors in Information Science

• The number of cited autors in information science is 1770 – 80.8% of authors are cited only once– number of all documents (with or

without authors) cited only once is 62.9%.

– 32 of the most cited authors (1.8%) hold 7.7% of citations

• A small number of authors (1.8%) holds 1/6 of all multiple citations

The Most Cited Authors in Information Systems

• The number of all cited authors in information systems is 3662: – 2981 authors, or 81.4%, are cited

only once– 61.1% of documents are cited

only once– 31 most cited authors make only

0.8%

• So, 0.8% authors hold almost 1/6 of multiple citations

The Most Cited Authors in Information Science Disciplines• In three analyzed disciplines 90

authors hold 1/6 of all citation:– 50% of authors is “mutual”

• 44 authors are cited in two or three disciplines.

• Cited in other disciplines:– In museology: 4 out of 27 authors– In information science: 26 out of

32 authors – In information systems: 19 out of

31 authors

The presents of the most cited authors from museology, information science and information systems in all disciplines • In seven disciplines:

– 1 author (M. Tuđman)

• In five different disciplines:– 4 authors (N. J. Belkin, G. Salton,

T. Saračević, A. I. Mihajlov)

• In four different disciplines :– 7 authors (V. Anić, M. Kržak, D.

de S. Price, V. Srića, B. Težak, S. Tkalac, M. Žugaj)

Researchers, Scholars and Predecessors

in Museology, Information Science and Information Systems

Researchers, Scholars and Predecessors• According to the criteria of cited

literature obsolescence, and according to location in the cluster of cited authors, we recognize several groups of authors: – Predecessors

• authors that are continuously cited after double citation half-life

• define conceptual knowledge zone– Scholars

• the authors that are cited after the period of citation half-life and until the end of double period of citation half-life

• define conceptual knowledge zone– Researchers

• the most cited authors in the first half of citation half-life

• define research front

Predecessors

• In museology: – R. Horvat, M. Gorenc, I. Čejvan, Z. Z.

Strànský, I. Mirnik, A. Bauer

• In information science:– N. Chomsky, H. A. Simon, D. J. de S.

Price, W. D. Garvey, K. Katičić, P. D. Allison, G. Salton, J. S. Long, B. C. Brookes

• In information systems:– W. D. Garvey, G. Salton, S. Dobrenić, D.

Radošević, A. I. Mihajlov, A. V. Aho

Scholars• In museology:

– D. F. Cameron, L. Dobronić, J. Neustupný, O. Maruševski, W.E. Washburn

• In information science:– A. Bookstein, T. Saračević, N. Pravdić,

M. Tuđman, M. Kržak, Q. L. Burrell, L. Egghe, J. Martin, D. W. Allen, Y. S. Chen, V. Anić, N. J. Belkin, V. Srića, D. R. Cruickshank, R. Rousseau, H. Sackman, L. M. Stolurow, D. Boras, Z. Dovedan

• In information systems:– R. A. Kowalski, M. Tuđman, I. Turk, G. B.

Davis, P. F. Drucker, I. Martin, J. J. Petrić, V. Strahonja, V. Srića, V. Čerić, Đ. Deželić, B. Aurer, M. Žugaj, S. Tkalac, J. Brumec, A. K. Jain, V. Lovrek

Predecessors, Scholars and Researchers’ Key Publications

Predecessors, Scholars and Researchers’ Key Publications• An overview of key authors and

their publications can be presented according to several criteria, or combination of criteria, so far described as:– overview of most cited authors and their

publications according to disciplines– overview of most cited authors and their

publications according to periods– overview of most cited authors

according to location and authors’ role in scientific community: predecessors, scholars, researchers

– overview of most cited authors and their publications according to the number of disciplines in which they were cited

First five most cited authors and publications in museology:• Strànský, Z.Z.: Pojam muzeologije; Temelji

opće muzeologije; Prezentacija najnovije historije u čehoslovačkim muzejima.

• Maroević, I.: Uvod u muzeologiju; Predmet muzeologije u okviru teorijske jezgre informacijskih znanosti; Sadašnjost baštine.

• Bauer, A.: Muzeologija; Mreža muzeja i međumuzejska suradnja.

• Šola, T.: Prilog mogućoj definiciji muzeologije; Marketing u muzejima : ili o vrlini i kako je obznaniti; Od obrazovanja do komunikacije.

• Mirnik, I.: Numizmatička zbirka; Skupni nalaz novca iz Krupe.

First five most cited authors and publications in information science:

• Burrell, Q.L.: The analysis of library data; A note on ageing in a library circulation model.

• Brookes, B.C.: The foundations of information science; A New Paradigm for Information Science.

• Egghe, L.: Introduction to informetrics: quantitive methods in library, documentation and information science; Consequences of Lotka's law for the law of Bradford.

• Tuđman, M.: Teorija informacijske znanosti; Struktura kulturne informacije; Obavijest i znanje.

• Kržak, M.: Serbo-Croatian Morpho-spelling; Rječnička baza hrvatskoga književnoga jezika; Opisna, stohastička i relacijska gramatika na primjeru morfologije hrvatskog književnog jezika.

First five most cited authors and publications in information systems:

• Srića, V.: Uvod u sistemski inženjering

• Strahonja, V. M. Varga, M. Pavlić: Projektiranje informacijskih sustava

• Lazarević, B., V. Jovanović, M. Vučković: Projektovanje informacijskih sistema

• Radovan, M.: Projektiranje informacijskih sistema

• Tkalac, S.: Relacijski model podataka

Instead of conclusion

• The task of this paper is to prepare possible methodology for the research of Information science development

• In our analysis of Information Science development we advocate several starting points:

Instead of conclusion

1. We demonstrate how it is possible to identify dominant field of scientific influence inside the scientific paradigm– empirical knowledge zone– conceptual knowledge zone– research knowledge zone

Instead of conclusion

2. We propose criteria for the recognition of several groups of authors, with different influence and roles in described zones:– Predecessors– Scholars– Researchers

Instead of conclusion

3. We use several criteria that can serve as a filter for data selection: a) citation of authors according to

disciplinesb) citation of authors and their

publications according to periodsc) classification of authors according to

location and role in scientific community • Predecessors• Scholars• Researchers

d) overview of authors and their publications according to the number of disciplines in which they are cited.

Instead of conclusion

• Suggested “filters” for data selections are not sufficient for qualitative analysis, but they limit data to a small number that can be processed by qualitative analysis

• Thank you• Questions?