All posts by VPInstitute

Using the wayback machine to mine websites in the social sciences: A methodological resource

novel source, Research Examples, Research profiling

Websites offer an unobtrusive data source for developing and analyzing information about various types of social science phenomena. In this paper, we provide a methodological resource for social scientists looking to expand their toolkit using unstructured web-based text, and in particular, with the Wayback Machine, to access historical website data. After providing a literature review of existing research that uses the Wayback Machine, we put forward a step-by-step description of how the analyst can design a research project using archived websites. We draw on the example of a project that analyzes indicators of innovation activities and strategies in 300 U.S. small- and medium-sized enterprises in green goods industries. We present six steps to access historical Wayback website data: (a) sampling, (b) organizing and defining the boundaries of the web crawl, (c) crawling, (d) website variable operationalization, (e) integration with other data sources, and (f) analysis. Although our examples draw on specific types of firms in green goods industries, the method can be generalized to other areas of research. In discussing the limitations and benefits of using the Wayback Machine, we note that both machine and human effort are essential to developing a high-quality data set from archived web information.

FULL-TEXT http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.23503/full

Author(s): Sanjay K. Arora, Yin Li, Jan Youtie, and Philip Shapira
Organization(s): Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Manchester
Source: Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology
Year: 2015

Green Energy Prospects: Trends and Challenges

Biz lit, Future-oriented technology analysis, novel source, Patents, Research Examples, Research Type, S&T lit, Strategic planning,

The transition of energy systems moving from non-renewable fossil-nuclear to renewable sources is a key challenge of climate mitigation and sustainable development. Green energy technologies can contribute to solutions of global problems such as climate change, growth of energy consumption, depletion of natural resources, negative environmental impacts, and energy security. In this article the prospective directions of technology development in green energy are studied and analyzed using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative research involves participation of key experts in the field of green energy, while quantitative analysis includes collecting and processing data from different information sources (scientific publications, patents, news, Foresight projects, conferences, projects of international organizations, dissertations, and presentations) with a help of Vantage Point software. In addition, key challenges for green energy as well as its relationships with other technological and non-technological areas are identified and briefly described on the basis of expert and analytical results.

http://www.igi-global.com/article/green-energy-prospects/129675

Author(s): S. Filippov, N. Mikova, and A. Sokolova
Organization(s): Energy Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Higher School of Economics
Source: International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development (IJSESD)
Year: 2015

Research Productivity of Library Scholars: Bibliometric Analysis of Growth and Trends of LIS Publications

Research Examples, Research profiling

The purpose of this study is to explore, by a quantitative analysis, growth rates of, and trends in, global publications in the field of library and information science (LIS) produced by library science professionals.

Design/methodology/approach
A survey approach was used. JCR (Journal Citation Reports) 2010 was the major source for selecting 40 LIS core journals. A bibliometric analysis was conducted. Visualization and mapping software was utilized to present a picture of the growth in, and trends relating to LIS publications.

Findings
18,371 research articles were published from 2003 to 2012. A significant growth rate (11.37%) was found in 2009. Self-citation tendencies have been increasing, with an average rate of 38.56%. Of all publication types, “article” was the most popular among LIS researchers. China has contributed remarkably in terms of collaborative publications.

Practical implications
The present study could be helpful for library professionals, subject specialists and policy makers. These findings may encourage library professionals to integrate and monitor library functions through bibliometric analysis.

Originality/value
This paper identifies growth, trends in publications by LIS researchers through use of bibliometrics.

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/NLW-11-2014-0132

Author(s): Munazza Jabeen, Liu Yun, Muhammad Rafiq, and Misbah Jabeen
Organization(s): Beijing Institute of Technology, University of The Punjab, and Nanjing University
Source: New Library World
Year: 2015

Tech Mining to Generate Indicators of Future National Technological Competitiveness: Nano-enhanced Drug Delivery (NEDD) in the US and China

Future-oriented technology analysis, Research Examples, Research profiling, ST&I indicators,

“Global technological competitiveness” is widely acknowledged, but the challenge is to go beyond this recognition to develop empirical indicators of important transitions. These may concern particular technologies, the competitive position of particular organizations, or national/regional shifts. For decades, the US has been the world leader in biomedical technologies, with attendant implications for organizational priorities in terms of R&D location and market targeting. Recent years have seen a tremendous acceleration in Asian research in most domains, including biomedical, particularly visible in China. This paper investigates comparative patterns between the US and China in a promising emerging area of biotechnology — Nano-Enhanced Drug Delivery. It then explores indicators of, and implications for, future transitions at the national level — an approach we label “Forecasting Innovation Pathways.” http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162514000900 Highlights

  • Tech mining generates indicators for future national technological competitiveness.
  • The case is a promising emerging area of biotechnology — Nano-Enhanced Drug Delivery.
  • We investigate comparative patterns between the US and China.
  • Results can provide insight into the approach of “Forecasting Innovation Pathways.”

Author(s): Ying Guo, Xiao Zhou, Alan L. Porter, and Douglas K.R. Robinson Organization(s): Beijing Instititute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Université de Paris-Est Source: Technological Forecasting & Social Change Year: 2015

Export MS Outlook Email and Import into VantagePoint

VP Macros

The following steps outline how to export email from Outlook and into VantagePoint:

Step 1: Copy the code in the text file VBA Export Code for Outlook into a VBA Module in Outlook. Steps for doing this appear below:

  1. Select the “File” tab in the Outlook ribbon and then click “Options”
  2. Click “Customize Ribbon” and select “Developer” on the right hand side of the screen (if it’s not already selected. Then click “OK”.
  3. Select the “Developer” tab in the Outlook ribbon and then click “Visual Basic” (or type Alt+F11).
  4. Click “Insert” then select “Module”.
  5. Copy the code in the attached text file (VBA Export Code for Outlook.txt) into a VBA Module that appears

Step 2: If Excel isn’t already referenced it needs to be. While in the VBA Module click Tools -> References and then select “Microsoft Excel Object Library”. Click “OK” and then close the VBA Module.

Step 3: In Outlook open the folder containing the emails you would like exported and then in the “Developer” tab click “Macros” and then select “ExportMessagesToExcel”. A pop up box will appear letting the user know when the process is complete and the number of messages that were exported (this process can require a little patience when applied to a large number of messages and/or messages with a significant number of characters).

Step 4: The following fields will be exported in Excel format for all messages in the open folder: Subject, Date, From, To, Attachment, CC, Body and Header. They will be saved to your Documents folder under the filename Outlook_Email_Export_[today’s date].xlsx, unless a file with that name already exists, in which case the user will be prompted to enter a filename.

Step 5: Launch VantagePoint, select “Import Database Table (Excel, Access, etc.)”, click “OK”, and point to the Outlook export file. Note: list items in some fields may contain multiple values delimited by semi-colons in which case the user might find it useful to right click on the field (in the Summary screen) and then select Further Processing -> Divide at -> Semicolon.

Collaborative Networks as a measure of the Innovation Systems in second-generation ethanol

Network analysis, Research Examples,

Ethanol obtained from the conversion process of different types of biomass is a renewable source of fuel and since 2010 it has been classified as an “advanced fuel” by the EPA, due to its contribution to the reduction of the impacts of GHG emissions. Recent literature stresses the importance of the use of second-generation fuels to reduce the impacts of the direct and indirect use of land, mostly on agricultural prices. Although these demands constitute a clear clue to R&D activities, there are an impressive number of alternatives, regarding different kinds of biomass, processes and byproducts, a complex matrix of technological opportunities and the demands that generates a clear incentive for collaboration. This paper uses both the Bibliometry and Scientometry approach and the Innovation System (IS) literature under the perspective of Social Networks Analysis (SNA) to build Collaborative Networks (CNs) to the second-generation ethanol (lignocellulosic) using ISI Web of Science database. The adopted procedure emerges once authors, countries and institutions related to bioenergy have incentives to share information in the process of creating a new role in partnership—a network point-of-view. The results show that the United States is in a better position than other countries, improving the role of the university in their IS while China proves to be a great ally of the United States regarding the production of technology to produce lignocellulosic ethanol. Brazil however, does not appear well placed in the network, despite being the second largest producer of first-generation ethanol in the world.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-015-1553-2?wt_mc=alerts.TOCjournals

Author(s): Luiz Gustavo Antonio de Souza, Márcia Azanha Ferraz Dias de Moraes, Maria Ester Soares Dal Poz, José Maria Ferreira Jardim da Silveira
Organization(s): University of Campinas and University of São Paulo
Source: Scientometrics
Year: 2015

Astaxanthin Research Trends: Bibliometrical Analysis of the International Studies of Astaxanthin

Research Examples, Research profiling, Strategic planning

In recent decades, the applied research of astaxanthin has made significant progress since it is highly valued and promising in its application. Using the databases of Derwent Innovations Index (DII) as the sources, we retrieved and analyzed the patents on the astaxanthin. The analytical tools of Thomson Data Analyzer (TDA), and Thomson Innovation platform were used for data mining. We analyzed the trends of patents applications, life spans, and distribution of patents, core patents and the patents family about astaxanthin by bibliometric approach. This paper reveals the trends of astaxanthin research in the world and helps the researchers and corporations in China to understand the opportunities and challenges to develop the new astaxanthin technology. The results showed that the research of astaxanthin mainly focused on the fields that astaxanthin was applied as a feed additives for fish and a natural nutrient for diseases prevention and control. Japan, the United States, and China ranked as the top three countries that claimed the priority of the patent applications of astaxanthin. The numbers of patent applications of astaxanthin from Japan prevailed over any other countries. From the distribution of the patents, DuPont and Tosoh Corporation are mainly interested in the synthesis of the target compounds by fermentation and enzyme and the composition of microorganisms or enzymes, while other top Japanese companies mainly focused on products with the medical, dental or toilet use, the food preparation or processing of food and nonalcoholic beverages and the specific treatment of active compounds or pharmaceutical formulations.

http://journal.kib.ac.cn/EN/abstract/abstract3403.shtml

Author(s): WANG Chun-Ming, XU Yang-Qi, YANG Ya, DU Ning, and YANG Zhi-Ping
Organization(s): Chengdu Branch of National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Source: Plant Diversity and Resources
Year: 2015

Mining research trends with anomaly detection models: the case of social computing research

Research Examples, Research Type, ST&I indicators, ST&I policy, Strategic planning

We proposed in this study to use anomaly detection models to discover research trends. The application was illustrated by applying a rule-based anomaly detector (WSARE), which was typically used for biosurveillance purpose, in the research trend analysis in social computing research. Based on articles collected from SCI-EXPANDED and CPCI-S databases during 2000 to 2013, we found that the number of social computing studies went up significantly in the past decade, with computer science and engineering among the top important subjects. Followed by China, USA was the largest contributor for studies in this field. According to anomaly detected by the WSARE, social computing research gradually shifted from its traditional fields such as computer science and engineering, to the fields of medical and health, and communication, etc. There was an emerging of various new subjects in recent years, including sentimental analysis, crowdsourcing and e-health. We applied an interdisciplinary network evolution analysis to track changes in interdisciplinary collaboration, and found that most subject categories closely collaborate with subjects of computer science and engineering. Our study revealed that, anomaly detection models had high potentials in mining hidden research trends and may provided useful tools in the study of forecasting in other fields.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-015-1559-9

Author(s): Qing Cheng, Xin Lu, Zhong Liu, Jincai Huang
Organization(s): National University of Defense Technology
Source: Scientometrics
Year: 2015

Forecasting the Big Services Era: Novel Approach Combining Statistical Methods, Expertise and Technology Roadmapping

Future-oriented technology analysis, Research Examples, Strategic planning

This paper aims at proposing a novel approach to gathering and structuring information concerning an emerging technology, generating a relevant profile, identifying its past evolution, forecasting the short and medium-term evolution and integrating all of the elements graphically into a hybrid roadmap. The approach combines four families of technological forecasting methods, namely: Statistical Methods in terms of Bibliometrics and Data Mining; Trend Analysis; Descriptive Methods in terms of Technological Roadmapping; and Expertise. Its future application to forecast the evolution of emerging IT trends in current entities, which are creating the Big Services era, is proposed as future work.

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-14078-0_42#

Author(s): Iñaki Bildosola, Rosa Rio-Bélver, Ernesto Cilleruelo
Organization(s): University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU
Source: Enhancing Synergies in a Collaborative Environment [Springer International Publishing] Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering
Year: 2015

Social science contributions compared in synthetic biology and nanotechnology

Citation analysis, Research Examples, Research Type, ST&I policy,

With growing attention to societal issues and implications of synthetic biology, we investigate sources of social science publication knowledge in synthetic biology and probe what might be learned by comparison with earlier rounds of social science research in nanotechnology. “Social science” research is broadly defined to include publications in conventional social science as well as humanities, law, ethics, business, and policy fields. We examine the knowledge clusters underpinning social science publications in nanotechnology and synthetic biology using a methodology based on the analysis of cited references. Our analysis finds that social science research in synthetic biology already has traction and direction, rooted in an ethical, legal, and social implications framework. However, compared with nanotechnology, social science research in synthetic biology could further explore opportunities and openings for engagement, anticipatory, and downstream application perspectives that will help to build a wider platform for insights into current and future societal impacts.

For full-text see:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23299460.2014.1002123#.VPTit5Y5B1s

Author(s): Philip Shapira, Jan Youtie, and Yin Li
Organization(s): University of Manchester and Georgia Institute of Technology
Source: Journal of Responsible Innovation
Year: 2015