Category Archives: Network analysis

Network analysis to support public health: evolution of collaboration among leishmaniasis researchers (full-text)

Network analysis, Research Examples

Databases on scientific publications are a well-known source for complex network analysis. The present work focuses on tracking evolution of collaboration
amongst researchers on leishmaniasis, a neglected disease associated with poverty and very common in Brazil, India and many other countries in Latin America, Asia and
Africa. Using SCOPUS and PubMed databases we have identified clusters of publications resulting from research areas and collaboration between countries. Based
on the collaboration patterns, areas of research and their evolution over the past 35 years, we combined different methods in order to understand evolution in science. The
methods took into consideration descriptive network analysis combined with lexical analysis of publications, and the collaboration patterns represented by links in network
structure. The methods used country of the authors’ publications, MeSH terms, and the collaboration patterns in seven five-year period collaboration network and publication
networks snapshots as attributes. The results show that network analysis metrics can bring evidences of evolution of collaboration between different research groups within a
specific research area and that those areas have subnetworks that influence collaboration structures and focus.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11192-017-2346-6

For full-text, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ec2d/72caf565d297db3699953c9eceea25c81b17.pdf

Author(s): Ricardo B. Sampaio, Bruna P.F. Fonseca, Ashwin Bahulkar, Boleslaw K.
Szymanski
Organization(s): Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Społeczna Akademia Nauk
Source: Scientometrics
Year: 2017

Scientific collaboration in indigenous knowledge in context: Insights from publication and co-publication network analysis

Network analysis, Research Examples

Scientific collaboration has been cited as a major stimulant in innovation and a major component for the development of indigenous technologies particularly in countries invested in rapid technological catch-up in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In this study, we assess the comparative advantage of the selected economies and employ a network perspective to drill down to the case study of indigenous knowledge, using the traditional medicine sector – a focus indigenous industry of several Asian economies – to understand how the State, Industry and Universities link to drive innovation in this growing field. From our selected economies in East Asia, we identified three network models that describe the outcomes of the innovation strategies in place, a network-based extension of previous studies. We examine publication output and co-publication network structures to investigate the comparative advantage and composition of the research networks in the various economies. Our results suggest that the university-centric model remains the most popular, with Hong Kong appearing to attain the most functional innovation system with a competitive selection environment and high comparative advantage in this field. We propose this methodology as a means to explore the scientific infrastructure of a specific sector, thereby acting as a precursor to forecasting potential technological spill-over and growth in specific sectors.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162517300367

Author(s): Hon-Ngen Fung, Chan-Yuan Wong
Organization(s): University of Malaya
Source: Technological Forecasting & Social Change
Year: 2017

Collaboration in science and technology organizations of the public sector: A network perspective

Network analysis, Research Examples, Research Type

Engaging in collaborative networks can be an important facilitator of innovation for public sector science and technology (S&T) organizations. It is also an important component of S&T policies that require indicators that can assess the networks through which these organizations innovate. In this study, we apply network indicators to two S&T organizations that are part of the Brazilian public health sector. The indicators cover two complementary perspectives: one that considers the organizations’ scientific networks and the other that considers their technological networks. The indicators allowed the analysis of the networks in which the organizations were engaged and the understanding of important aspects of their collaboration patterns that can support strategic decisions. The method employed in this paper proved to be a valuable diagnostic tool and a useful mechanism for evaluating the performance and supporting the development of S&T institutions.

http://spp.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/04/25/scipol.scw013.abstract

Author(s): Bruna P. F. Fonseca, Elton Fernandes and Marcus V. A. Fonseca
Organization(s): Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, (Fiocruz)
Source: Science and Public Policy
Year: 2016

Lessons from Ten Years of Nanotechnology Bibliometric Analysis

Interdisciplinarity, Network analysis, Research evaluation, Research profiling, Research Type

This paper summarizes the 10-year experiences of the Program in Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in support of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) in understanding, characterizing, and conveying the development of nanotechnology research and application. This work was labeled “Research and Innovation Systems Assessment” or (RISA) by CNS-ASU.

RISA concentrates on identifying and documenting quantifiable aspects of nanotechnology, including academic, commercial/industrial, and government nanoscience and nanotechnology (nanotechnologies) activity, research, and projects. RISA at CNS-ASU engaged in the first systematic attempt of its kind to define, characterize, and track a field of science and technology. A key element to RISA was the creation of a replicable approach to bibliometrically defining nanotechnology. Researchers in STIP, and beyond, could then query the resulting datasets to address topical areas ranging from basic country and regional concentrations of publications and patents, to findings about social science literature, environmental, health, and safety research and usage, to study corporate entry into nanotechnology, and to explore application areas as special interests arose. Key features of the success of the program include:

  • Having access to “large-scale” R&D abstract datasets
  • Analytical software
  • A portfolio that balances innovative long-term projects, such as webscraping to understand nanotechnology developments in small and medium-sized companies, with research characterizing the emergence of nanotechnology that more readily produces articles
  • Relationships with diverse networks of scholars and companies working in the nanotechnology science and social science domains
  • An influx of visiting researchers
  • A strong core of students with social science, as well as some programming background
  • A well-equipped facility and management by the principals through weekly problem-solving meetings, mini-deadlines, and the production journal articles rather than thick final reports.

https://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/55931?show=full

Author(s): Jan Youtie, Alan Porter, Philip Shapira, Nils Newman
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
Source: OECD Blue Sky Forum on Science and Innovation Indicators
Year: 2016

Intangible Heritage and Gastronomy: The Impact of UNESCO Gastronomy Elements

Network analysis, Research Examples, Strategic planning

The objective of this study is two-fold: on the one hand, to determine whether literature has studied the relationship between intangible heritage and gastronomy; on the other, we have explored the use of UNESCO-recognized elements for marketing purposes. Two research questions have been addressed: (a) Is there a specific definition of gastronomy as intangible heritage? and (b) can the UNESCO-recognized elements be used for marketing purposes? We have used a method that combines content analysis and network analysis via the identification and study of keywords. The results showed a definition of gastronomy as intangible world heritage would be required. We have also observed that the use of the UNESCO-recognized elements, for marketing purposes, could be an opportunity for differentiating place’s identity.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15428052.2015.1129008

Author(s): María de Miguel Molina, Blanca de Miguel Molina, Virginia Santamarina Campos, María del Val Segarra Oña
Organization: Universitat Politecnica de Valencia
Source: Journal of Culinary Science & Technology
Year: 2016

Inequalities in scholarly knowledge: Public value failures and their impact on global science

Network analysis, Research Examples

There is a growing body of literature that acknowledges the overall trends in publication patterns in the least economically advantaged countries. The pattern shows that there are disparities between the Global North and Global South with regard to indexed publication output. Few studies, however, empirically assess the impact that this systematic disparity has on global scientific knowledge. This paper examines this systematic disparity by (1) analysing the co-authorship patterns of the least economically advantaged countries using bibliometric analysis of the Web of Science ISI database, and (2) applying the public-value failure mapping tool to identify potential failures in the scientific scholarship. Our analysis provides strong evidence of public value failures in global scholarly publication output. The paper contributes to the science policy and public value failure literatures using novel theoretical and methodological approaches to explore issues of equity and inequality in global science.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20421338.2016.1147204

Author(s): Thema Monroe-White and Thomas S. Woodson
Organization(s): Stony Brook University
Source: African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development
Year: 2016

Analyzing collaboration networks and developmental patterns of nano-enabled drug delivery (NEDD) for brain cancer

Network analysis, Research Examples, Research Type

The rapid development of new and emerging science & technologies (NESTs) brings unprecedented challenges, but also opportunities. In this paper, we use bibliometric and social network analyses, at country, institution, and individual levels, to explore the patterns of scientific networking for a key nano area – nano-enabled drug delivery (NEDD). NEDD has successfully been used clinically to modulate drug release and to target particular diseased tissues. The data for this research come from a global compilation of research publication information on NEDD directed at brain cancer. We derive a family of indicators that address multiple facets of research collaboration and knowledge transfer patterns. Results show that: (1) international cooperation is increasing, but networking characteristics change over time; (2) highly productive institutions also lead in influence, as measured by citation to their work, with American institutes leading; (3) research collaboration is dominated by local relationships, with interesting information available from authorship patterns that go well beyond journal impact factors. Results offer useful technical intelligence to help researchers identify potential collaborators and to help inform R&D management and science & innovation policy for such nanotechnologies.

Full-text article at http://www.beilstein-journals.org/bjnano/single/articleFullText.htm?publicId=2190-4286-6-169

author(s): Ying Huang, Jing Ma, Alan L Porter, Seokbeom Kwon, and Donghua Zhu
Organization(s): Beijing Institute of Technology
Source: Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology
Year: 2015

Aesthetics in the age of digital humanities

Network analysis, Research Examples, Research profiling, Research Type, Science mapping, VOSViewer

One of the most difficult but yet unavoidable tasks for every academic field is to define its own nature and demarcate its area. This article addresses the question of how current computational text-mining approaches can be used as tools for clarifying what aesthetics is when such approaches are combined with philosophical analyses of the field. We suggest that conjoining the two points of view leads to a fuller picture than excluding one or the other, and that such a picture is useful for the self-understanding of the discipline. Our analysis suggests that text-mining tools can find sources, relations, and trends in a new way, but it also reveals that the databases that such tools use are presently seriously limited. However, computational approaches that are still in their infancy in aesthetics will most likely gradually affect our understanding about the ontological status of the discipline and its instantiations.

Open Access article…. for full-text, click http://www.aestheticsandculture.net/index.php/jac/article/view/30072

Author(s): Ossi Naukkarinen and Johanna Bragge
Organization: Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture; Aalto University School of Economics
Source: Journal of Aesthetics and Culture
Year: 2016

Do Nobel Laureates Create Prize-Winning Networks? An Analysis of Collaborative Research in Physiology or Medicine

Network analysis, Research Examples, S&T lit

Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine who received the Prize between 1969 and 2011 are compared to a matched group of scientists to examine productivity, impact, coauthorship and international collaboration patterns embedded within research networks. After matching for research domain, h-index, and year of first of publication, we compare bibliometric statistics and network measures. We find that the Laureates produce fewer papers but with higher average citations. The Laureates also produce more sole-authored papers both before and after winning the Prize. The Laureates have a lower number of coauthors across their entire careers than the matched group, but are equally collaborative on average. Further, we find no differences in international collaboration patterns. The Laureates coauthor network reveals significant differences from the non-Laureate network. Laureates are more likely to build bridges across a network when measuring by average degree, density, modularity, and communities. Both the Laureate and non-Laureate networks have “small world” properties, but the Laureates appear to exploit “structural holes” by reaching across the network in a brokerage style that may add social capital to the network. The dynamic may be making the network itself highly attractive and selective. These findings suggest new insights into the role “star scientists” in social networks and the production of scientific discoveries.

Author(s): Caroline S. Wagner , Edwin Horlings, Travis A. Whetsell, Pauline Mattsson, and Katarina Nordqvist
Organization(s): Battelle Center for Science and Technology Policy, Ohio State University; Rathenau Institute
Source: PLoS One http://www.plosone.org/article/Authors/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0134164
Year: 2015

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