Book reviews in academic journals: patterns and dynamics

Weishu Liu (), Yishan Ding () and Mengdi Gu ()
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Weishu Liu: Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics
Yishan Ding: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Mengdi Gu: Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Scientometrics, 2017, vol. 110, issue 1, No 20, 355-364

Abstract: Abstract Book reviews play important roles in scholarly communication especially in arts and humanities disciplines. By using Web of Science’s Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index, this study probed the patterns and dynamics of book reviews within these three indexes empirically during the past decade (2006–2015). We found that the absolute numbers of book reviews among all the three indexes were relatively stable but the relative shares were decreasing. Book reviews were very common in arts and humanities, common in social sciences, but rare in natural sciences. Book reviews are mainly contributed by authors from developed economies such as the USA and the UK. Oppositely, scholars from China and Japan are unlikely to contribute to book reviews.

Keywords: Book review; Academic journal; Web of Science; Sciences and social sciences; Arts and humanities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I29 Y30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-2172-2

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