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Using ‘core documents’ for detecting and labelling new emerging topics

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Abstract

The notion of ‘core documents’, first introduced in the context of co-citation analysis and later re-introduced for bibliographic coupling and extended to hybrid approaches, refers to the representation of the core of a document set according to given criteria. In the present study, core documents are used for the identification of new emerging topics. The proposed method proceeds from independent clustering of disciplines in different time windows. Cross-citations between core documents and clusters in different periods are used to detect new, exceptionally growing clusters or clusters with changing topics. Three paradigmatic types of new, emerging topics are distinguished. Methodology is illustrated using the example of four ISI subject categories selected from the life sciences, applied sciences and the social sciences.

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Acknowledgments

The present study is an extended version of a article presented at the 13th International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics, Durban (South Africa), 4–7 July 2011 (Glänzel and Thijs 2011a, b). Methodology has partially been developed in the context of the ERACEP project within the Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) of the European Research Council (ERC) work programme. The authors wish to acknowledge this support.

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Correspondence to Wolfgang Glänzel.

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Glänzel, W., Thijs, B. Using ‘core documents’ for detecting and labelling new emerging topics. Scientometrics 91, 399–416 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0591-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0591-7

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