Distance and velocity measures: Using citations to determine breadth and speed of research impact

Title: Distance and velocity measures: Using citations to determine breadth and speed of research impact
Format: Journal Article
Publication Date: 2014
Published In: Scientometrics
Description: Research that integrates the social and natural sciences is vital to address many societal challenges, yet is difficult to arrange, conduct, and disseminate. This paper compares diffusion of the research supported by a unique U.S. National Science Foundation program on Human and Social Dynamics ("HSD") with a matched group of heavily cited papers. We offer a measure of the distance of cites between the Web of Science Category ("WoSC") in which a publication appears and the WoSC of the journal citing it, and find that HSD publications are cited more distantly than are comparison publications. We provide another measure-citation velocity-finding that HSD publications are cited with similar lag times as are the comparison papers. These basic citation distance and velocity measures enrich analyses of research knowledge diffusion patterns. © 2014 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.
Ivan Allen College Contributors:
Citation: Scientometrics. 100. Issue 3. 687 - 703. ISSN 0138-9130. DOI 10.1007/s11192-014-1316-5.
Related Departments:
  • School of Public Policy