The shifting balance of intellectual trade in information studies

Cronin, Blaise; Meho, Lokman I.

doi:10.1002/asi.20764

Cited by 73 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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Section: Network Social Network and Social Network Analysis Definedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The individuals in each of these groups were mainly sociologists, social anthropologists (Scott, 2000) and social psychologists (Wasserman & Faust, 1994). Given the multidisciplinary nature of LIS research and its dual tradition of borrowed theory from, and the export of theory to, other fields such as computer science, engineering, business and management, sociology and cultural studies (Hall, 2003, pp.287-288;Cronin, 2008;Cronin and Meho, 2008) it is appropriate to consider how SNA may be applied to this domain.Although members of the Harvard group were contemporaries of the small group of sociometric researchers noted in (1) above, it would appear that neither community was aware of the other's work in the 1930s and 1940s (Scott, 2000). It was not until the late 1940s that the two strands of research were brought together by George Homans, who attempted to synthesise small group research using Moreno's sociometry as a framework for applying theory to social situations at the same time as re-examining the work of the Harvard researchers (Homans, 1951).…”

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Facets of DREaM

Cooke

Hall²

2013

Journal of Documentation

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Structured Abstract:• Purpose This paper reviews the value of Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a method appropriate to LIS research. SNA is used to investigate the effectiveness of a framework of methods adopted by the DREaM project to develop researcherpractitioner networks.• Design/methodology/approach Following review of literature on SNA, the paper reports longitudinal research from a whole population sample of the DREaM cadre of LIS researchers. Data were collected using a questionnaire at the start of the first DREaM project workshop, and at the final workshop. Data were analysed using Ucinet 6 software, and network diagrams were visualised using the Netdraw package.• Findings Findings demonstrate that the combination of linked workshops and use of social media throughout the DREaM project was successful in increasing the density of the researcher networks, forging new connections among participants. SNA was found to be a useful technique in investigating network development.• Research limitations/implications There is scope for further longitudinal research to investigate the sustainability and strength of the new network links forged.• Originality/value The use of SNA in the context of the development of researcher networks is novel in LIS research. The findings from this project indicate the potential of the DREaM methodology as a replicable framework for developing further research networks in other contexts. This paper represents a unique contribution in demonstrating through the use of SNA the extent of the extension of research networks afforded by the DREaM methodology. Research paper Facets of DREaM: a Social Network Analysis exploring network development in the UK LIS research community IntroductionSocial Network Analysis (SNA) is a research approach that focuses on relationships among social entities, and the patterns and implications of these relationships (Wasserman and Faust, 1994). The purpose of this paper is to review the value of SNA as a method appropriate to research in the domain of Library and Information Science (LIS). In addition to offering a brief overview of the academic antecedents of modern-day SNA, the relevance of SNA to LIS research is illustrated through the presentation of a case study.The case of the Developing Research Excellence and Methods (DREaM) project demonstrates how SNA may be deployed to evaluate the development of professional networks. In this instance a new network of LIS researchers -the DREaM network, made up of a mix of researchers, doctoral students and practitioner researchers -is considered in the context of specific interventions aimed at increasing and strengthening network ties among participants. Data from other sources, including a 'before and after' audit of network members' skills and participant feedback on a series of face-to-face network events, serve to supplement the SNA output and strengthen the evidence base on the effectiveness of these interventions. The work discussed offers a useful model for nurturing and assessing network developmen...

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Section: Network Social Network and Social Network Analysis Definedmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Facets of DREaM

Cooke

Hall²

2013

Journal of Documentation

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“…These techniques are also applied to the evaluation of scientific research. Citation and publication analysis-the analysis of data derived from scholarly publications and the references cited in scholarly publications-is a particularly popular method of examining and mapping the intellectual impact of scientists, projects, journals, disciplines, faculties, universities, and nations (Borgman 1990;Cronin and Meho 2008;Garfield 1979;Meho 2007;Moed 2005). This method has been used increasingly by academic, research, and public institutions worldwide for policymaking, to monitor scientific developments, and as a basis for promotions, tenure, hiring, salary, and grant decisions (Borgman * Weingart 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Rankings Reflect Research Quality?

Frey

Rost

2008

SSRN Journal

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Publication and citation rankings have become major indicators of the scientific worth of universities and determine to a large extent the career of individual scholars. Such rankings do not effectively measure research quality, which should be the essence of any evaluation. These quantity rankings are not objective; two citation rankings, based on different samples, produce entirely different results. For that reason, an alternative ranking is developed as a quality indicator, based on membership on academic editorial boards of professional journals. It turns out that the ranking of individual scholars based on that measure is far from objective. Furthermore, the results differ markedly, depending on whether research quantity or quality is considered. Thus, career decisions based on rankings are dominated by chance and do not reflect research quality. We suggest that evaluations should rely on multiple criteria. Public management should return to approved methods such as engaging independent experts who in turn provide measurements of research quality for their research communities. Do RankingsReflect Research Quality? (mit Katja Rost) Journal of Applied Economics XIII(1) (Mai 2010): 1-38 1 DO RANKINGS REFLECT RESEARCH QUALITY? BRUNO S. FREY, KATJA ROST * University of ZurichPublication and citation rankings have become major indicators of the scientific worth of universities and determine to a large extent the career of individual scholars. Such rankings do not effectively measure research quality, which should be the essence of any evaluation. These quantity rankings are not objective; two citation rankings, based on different samples, produce entirely different results. For that reason, an alternative ranking is developed as a quality indicator, based on membership on academic editorial boards of professional journals. It turns out that the ranking of individual scholars based on that measure is far from objective. Furthermore, the results differ markedly, depending on whether research quantity or quality is considered. Thus, career decisions based on rankings are dominated by chance and do not reflect research quality. We suggest that evaluations should rely on multiple criteria. Public management should return to approved methods such as engaging independent experts who in turn provide measurements of research quality for their research communities. JEL classification codes: H43, L15, O38

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“…Tang (2004) identified the most common disciplines to which LIS exports ideas (based on the number of citations it received from the disciplines): computer science, communication, education, management, business, and engineering. Another study looked at the export and import of ideas to and from LIS and found it to be an exporter of ideas (Cronin & Meho, 2008). That contrasts sharply with the state of the field 20 years ago when few researchers from other disciplines cited LIS literature (Cronin & Pearson, 1990).…”

Section: Stable Multidisciplinary Fieldmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…This work is broader in scope than most, if not all, of the previous works. Earlier citation analysis studies consider either shorter time periods or focused on fewer publications (Cronin & Meho, 2008). They took into account only the most highly cited authors (e.g., Ding et al, 2009;Ellis et al, 1999) or journals (e.g., Ding et al, 2000).…”

Section: Place Of This Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualizing and mapping the intellectual structure of information retrieval

Rorissa

Yuan

2012

Information Processing & Management

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a b s t r a c tInformation retrieval is a long established subfield of library and information science. Since its inception in the early-to mid -1950s, it has grown as a result, in part, of well-regarded retrieval system evaluation exercises/campaigns, the proliferation of Web search engines, and the expansion of digital libraries. Although researchers have examined the intellectual structure and nature of the general field of library and information science, the same cannot be said about the subfield of information retrieval. We address that in this work by sketching the information retrieval intellectual landscape through visualizations of citation behaviors. Citation data for 10 years (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009) were retrieved from the Web of Science and analyzed using existing visualization techniques. Our results address information retrieval's co-authorship network, highly productive authors, highly cited journals and papers, author-assigned keywords, active institutions, and the import of ideas from other disciplines.

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The shifting balance of intellectual trade in information studies

Cited by 73 publications

References 27 publications

Facets of DREaM

Facets of DREaM

Do Rankings Reflect Research Quality?

Visualizing and mapping the intellectual structure of information retrieval

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