Mapping the backbone of science

Mapping the backbone of science

Vol. 64, No. 3 (2005) 351–374 | KEVIN W. BOYACK, a RICHARD KLAVANS, b KATY BÖRNER c
This paper presents a new map that represents the structure of all science, including both natural and social sciences, based on journal articles. The map provides a bird's-eye view of the scientific landscape, allowing for the identification of major areas, their size, similarity, and interconnectedness. The authors applied eight alternative measures of journal similarity to a dataset of 7,121 journals covering over 1 million documents in the Science Citation and Social Science Citation Indexes. They generated two-dimensional spatial layouts using the force-directed graph layout tool, VxOrd, and calculated mutual information values to measure structural accuracy. The best co-citation and inter-citation maps were selected and characterized, with the inter-citation map used to examine linkages between disciplines. Biochemistry was identified as the most interdisciplinary discipline in science. The paper also discusses the importance of accuracy in science maps for decision-making within the Science and Technology (S&T) enterprise, emphasizing the need for maps to be both locally and structurally accurate.This paper presents a new map that represents the structure of all science, including both natural and social sciences, based on journal articles. The map provides a bird's-eye view of the scientific landscape, allowing for the identification of major areas, their size, similarity, and interconnectedness. The authors applied eight alternative measures of journal similarity to a dataset of 7,121 journals covering over 1 million documents in the Science Citation and Social Science Citation Indexes. They generated two-dimensional spatial layouts using the force-directed graph layout tool, VxOrd, and calculated mutual information values to measure structural accuracy. The best co-citation and inter-citation maps were selected and characterized, with the inter-citation map used to examine linkages between disciplines. Biochemistry was identified as the most interdisciplinary discipline in science. The paper also discusses the importance of accuracy in science maps for decision-making within the Science and Technology (S&T) enterprise, emphasizing the need for maps to be both locally and structurally accurate.
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