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Citation structure of an emerging research area on the verge of application

Author

Listed:
  • Henry Small

    (Thomson Reuters)

  • Phineas Upham

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

A case study of an emerging research area is presented dealing with the creation of organic thin film transistors, a subtopic within the general area called “plastic electronics.” The purpose of this case study is to determine the structural properties of the citation network that may be characteristic of the emergence, development, and application or demise of a research area. Research on organic thin film transistors is highly interdisciplinary, involving journals and research groups from physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering. There is a clear path to industrial applications if certain technical problems can be overcome. Despite the applied nature and potential for patentable inventions, scholarly publications from both academia and industry have continued at a rapid pace through 2007. The question is whether the bibliometric indicators point to a decline in this area due to imminent commercialization or to insurmountable technical problems with these materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Henry Small & Phineas Upham, 2009. "Citation structure of an emerging research area on the verge of application," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 79(2), pages 365-375, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:79:y:2009:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-009-0424-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-009-0424-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Persson, Olle, 2010. "Identifying research themes with weighted direct citation links," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 415-422.
    3. Ivan Jarić & Jelena Knežević-Jarić & Mirjana Lenhardt, 2014. "Relative age of references as a tool to identify emerging research fields with an application to the field of ecology and environmental sciences," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 100(2), pages 519-529, August.
    4. Junmo Kim & Juneseuk Shin, 2018. "Mapping extended technological trajectories: integration of main path, derivative paths, and technology junctures," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(3), pages 1439-1459, September.
    5. Xianwen Wang & Xi Zhang & Shenmeng Xu, 2011. "Patent co-citation networks of Fortune 500 companies," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 88(3), pages 761-770, September.
    6. Mund, Carolin & Neuhäusler, Peter, 2015. "Towards an early-stage identification of emerging topics in science—The usability of bibliometric characteristics," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 1018-1033.
    7. Chen, Shiji & Qiu, Junping & Arsenault, Clément & Larivière, Vincent, 2021. "Exploring the interdisciplinarity patterns of highly cited papers," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    8. Peng Wang & Fang-Wei Zhu & Hao-Yang Song & Jian-Hua Hou & Jin-Lan Zhang, 2018. "Visualizing the Academic Discipline of Knowledge Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-28, March.
    9. Henry Small, 2010. "Maps of science as interdisciplinary discourse: co-citation contexts and the role of analogy," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 83(3), pages 835-849, June.
    10. Sohrabi, Babak & Khalilijafarabad, Ahmad, 2018. "Systematic method for finding emergence research areas as data quality," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 280-287.
    11. Xiurui Xu & Guangming Hou & Junpeng Wang, 2022. "Research on Digital Transformation Based on Complex Systems: Visualization of Knowledge Maps and Construction of a Theoretical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-19, February.
    12. Momeni, Abdolreza & Rost, Katja, 2016. "Identification and monitoring of possible disruptive technologies by patent-development paths and topic modeling," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 16-29.
    13. Meng Qi & Xin Dai & Bei Zhang & Junjie Li & Bangfan Liu, 2023. "The Evolution and Future Prospects of China’s Wave Energy Policy from the Perspective of Renewable Energy: Facing Problems, Governance Optimization and Effectiveness Logic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, February.
    14. Yunfei Wang & Siming Tan & Yanyan Ma & Xia Zhao & Zhiling Wang & Zhiyong Chu & Honghua Qin, 2016. "Application of bibliometrics in analysis of output differences among countries under International Ocean Discovery Program," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 109(1), pages 447-462, October.
    15. Cobo, M.J. & López-Herrera, A.G. & Herrera-Viedma, E. & Herrera, F., 2011. "An approach for detecting, quantifying, and visualizing the evolution of a research field: A practical application to the Fuzzy Sets Theory field," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 146-166.
    16. Chihmao Hsieh, 2011. "Explicitly searching for useful inventions: dynamic relatedness and the costs of connecting versus synthesizing," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 86(2), pages 381-404, February.
    17. Reindert K. Buter & Ed. C. M. Noyons & Anthony F. J. Raan, 2011. "Searching for converging research using field to field citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 86(2), pages 325-338, February.
    18. Chen, Kaihua & Guan, Jiancheng, 2011. "A bibliometric investigation of research performance in emerging nanobiopharmaceuticals," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 233-247.
    19. Henry Small, 2011. "Interpreting maps of science using citation context sentiments: a preliminary investigation," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 87(2), pages 373-388, May.

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