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Evolutionary events in a mathematical sciences research collaboration network

Author

Listed:
  • Jason Cory Brunson

    (Virginia Bioinformatics Institute)

  • Steve Fassino

    (University of Tennessee)

  • Antonio McInnes

    (Oakwood University)

  • Monisha Narayan

    (Michigan State University)

  • Brianna Richardson

    (Oakwood University)

  • Christopher Franck

    (Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis)

  • Patrick Ion

    (Mathematical Reviews)

  • Reinhard Laubenbacher

    (University of Connecticut Health Center)

Abstract

This study examines long-term trends and shifting behavior in the collaboration network of mathematics literature, using a subset of data from Mathematical Reviews spanning 1985–2009. Rather than modeling the network cumulatively, this study traces the evolution of the “here and now” using fixed-duration sliding windows. The analysis uses a suite of common network diagnostics, including the distributions of degrees, distances, and clustering, to track network structure. Several random models that call these diagnostics as parameters help tease them apart as factors from the values of others. Some behaviors are consistent over the entire interval, but most diagnostics indicate that the network’s structural evolution is dominated by occasional dramatic shifts in otherwise steady trends. These behaviors are not distributed evenly across the network; stark differences in evolution can be observed between two major subnetworks, loosely thought of as “pure” and “applied”, which approximately partition the aggregate. The paper characterizes two major events along the mathematics network trajectory and discusses possible explanatory factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Cory Brunson & Steve Fassino & Antonio McInnes & Monisha Narayan & Brianna Richardson & Christopher Franck & Patrick Ion & Reinhard Laubenbacher, 2014. "Evolutionary events in a mathematical sciences research collaboration network," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 99(3), pages 973-998, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:99:y:2014:i:3:d:10.1007_s11192-013-1209-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-013-1209-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jason Cory Brunson & Xiaoyan Wang & Reinhard C Laubenbacher, 2017. "Effects of research complexity and competition on the incidence and growth of coauthorship in biomedicine," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-23, March.
    2. Chin-Chang Tsai & Elizabeth A. Corley & Barry Bozeman, 2016. "Collaboration experiences across scientific disciplines and cohorts," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(2), pages 505-529, August.
    3. Deise Deolindo Silva & Maria Cláudia Cabrini Grácio, 2021. "Dispersion measures for h-index: a study of the Brazilian researchers in the field of mathematics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(3), pages 1983-2011, March.

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