Scientometrics & Semantic Maps for Development?

Sarah Cummings (IKM) & Iina Hellsten (VU/Athena)

Context

• How to map differences in the codification of knowledge management and/ or development?

• Methods from scientometrics and bibliometrics, incl. citation, co-authorships and semantic map analysis

• Project with Sarah Cummings

Introduction• What is scientometrics?

• “science of science”• uses bibliometrics to map publication behavior• origin in study of scientific publications • main applications: citation & co-authorship analysis

since 1978

• What are semantic maps?* multiple in the text analysis* can be applied beyond science* mapping implicit frames across actors / discourses (e.g. sciences, the mass media, policy documents…)

Citation analysisIdea:

* scientific publications (with bibliographies)* author / article level: A. who cites whom

B. which authors get most citations* journal level: which journals cite each others articles * citations across domains (Triple helix: patents – publications)

Aim* view into discipline & specialty formation* A. changes over time & B. comparisons between disciplines, journals

etc.* impact of the publications

Limitations:* restricted to publications with list of references

Example of citation analysis: Development journals in 2007

Citation impact environment of World Development in 2007.(1% threshold; cosine > 0.2)

Source: Loet Leydesdorff

Main journals (in Web of Science):

1) World Development

2) Development and Change

3) Journal of Development Studies

Co-authorship analysis

Idea:• Co-authorship networks, global and local; national and international

• Who publishes with whom (disciplinary differences & development over time)

• Co-authorships between university-industry-government (Triple Helix)

Aim:• General view on dynamics of collaborations; inter- and

transdisciplinary

Limitations:

* restricted to publications with list of references

Example of co-authorship analysis: Dutch authors in Development and Change

Co-authorships of Dutch authors publishing in Development and Change, the core 30 co-authorships, 2005-2008

Semantic maps• Idea

• Automated analysis of communications (texts)• Different levels of codification (e.g. science / mass

media / policy / practice)

• Aims* development of a debate over time (e.g. stem-cell research)** differences across discourses within one debate (such as the mass media vs. sciences vs. economics vs. policy-making)* * differences in debates on the same topic across countries (U.S. vs. Europe vs. Asia / UK vs. Netherlands…)* * …and would be able to detect emerging sub-debates (within stem-cell debate across the discourses and the countries)?

Comparing semantics?

Leydesdorff & Hellsten, 2005, p.66

Example of semantic maps: “Millennium Development Goals” in Dutch newspapers

“Millennium Development Goals in Dutch newspapers, 2005-2008 (69 news items)

Next steps

• Semantic maps on scientific, journalistic, policy and practice documents (MDG debate)

• Different topics of debate• Different level of codification

• Citation and co-authorship analysis on industry-government-academia relations

Expected outcomes• Conference presentation: Towards

Knowledge Democracy –conference (Leiden, 25-27 August, 2009)

• Article(s)…

• Discussion on new methodological avenues and their limitations

Thank you!Questions?

• More information (methods):– www.leydesdorff.net

On semantic maps:– Leydesdorff Loet & Hellsten Iina (2006) ”Measuring the meanings of words in contexts: automated analysis of ‘Monarch butterflies’, ‘Frankenfoods’ and ‘stem cells’”, Scientometrics 67(2): 231-258. http://www.springerlink.com/content/c62j88v730283u6g/?p=23707c3755064670899a072308837605&pi=5

– Leydesdorff Loet & Hellsten Iina (2005) ”Metaphors and Diaphors in Science Communication: Mapping the Case of Stem-Cell Research”, Science Communication 27(1): 64-99. http://scx.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/27/1/64