Publication
Title
Q-measures and betweenness centrality in a collaboration network : a case study of the field of informetrics
Author
Abstract
 We study global and local Q-measures, as well as betweenness centrality, as indicators of international collaboration in research. After a brief review of their definitions, we introduce the concepts of external and internal inter-group geodesics. These concepts are applied to a collaboration network of 1129 researchers from different countries, which is based on publications in bibliometrics, informetrics, webometrics, and scientometrics (BIWS in short) from the period 19902009. It is thus illustrated how international collaboration (among authors from different countries) in BIWS is carried out. Our results suggest that average scores for local Q-measures are typically higher, indicating a relatively low degree of international collaboration in BIWS. The dominating form of international collaboration is bilateral, whereas multilateral collaboration is relatively rare in the field of BIWS. We also identify and visualize the most important global and local actors. Dividing the entire period in four 5-year periods, it is found that most international collaboration in the field has happened in the last time slice (20052009). A comparison of the different time slices reveals the non-linear growth of the indicators studied and the international expansion of the field.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Scientometrics: an international journal for all quantitative aspects of the science of science and science policy. - Amsterdam
Publication
Amsterdam : 2011
ISSN
0138-9130
Volume/pages
87:1(2011), p. 133-147
ISI
000287665900010
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
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UAntwerpen
 Faculty/Department Research group Publication type Subject Affiliation Publications with a UAntwerp address