Abstract
Earlier experiments in the use of co-citations to cluster theScience citation Indey (SCI) database are reviewed. Two proposed improvements in the methodology are introduced: fractional citation counting and variable level clustering with a maximum cluster size limit. Results of an experiment using the 1979SCI are described comparing the new methods with those previously employed. It is found that fractional citation counting helps reduce the bias toward high referencing fields such as biomedicine and biochemistry inherent in the use of an integer citation count threshold, and increases the range of subject matters covered by clusters. Variable level clustering, on the other hand, increases recall as measured by the percentage of highly cited items included in clusters. It is concluded that the two new methods used in combination will improve our ability to generate comprehensive maps of science as envisioned byDerek Price. This topic will be discussed in a forthcoming paper.
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Small, H., Sweeney, E. Clustering thescience citation index ® using co-citations. Scientometrics 7, 391–409 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02017157
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02017157