A method for assessing interdisciplinarity through co-authors of scientific publications

Shiji Chen (), Bing Bai (), Yunlong Yu () and Yanhui Song ()
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Shiji Chen: Hangzhou Dianzi University, Chinese Academy of Science and Education Evaluation (CASEE)
Bing Bai: Hangzhou Dianzi University, Chinese Academy of Science and Education Evaluation (CASEE)
Yunlong Yu: Hangzhou Dianzi University, Chinese Academy of Science and Education Evaluation (CASEE)
Yanhui Song: Hangzhou Dianzi University, School of Management

Scientometrics, 2025, vol. 130, issue 11, No 23, 6477-6502

Abstract: Abstract The measurement of interdisciplinarity has been approached through various methods, most notably by analyzing disciplinary diversity of references and co-authors. However, the disciplinary diversity based on co-authors has received little attention. By analyzing co-authors' publication histories, the study constructs three co-author-based interdisciplinary indicators that reflect disciplinary diversity of co-authors themselves and the differences in disciplinary backgrounds between them. A systematic comparison with traditional reference-based measures reveals that co-author-based and reference-based measures capture two related but fundamentally distinct dimensions of interdisciplinary research. Our findings reveal that co-author-based measures capture the collaborative diversity within research teams, while reference-based measures emphasize the scope of knowledge integration. This distinction highlights that a diverse team does not automatically produce work with broad knowledge integration, though it significantly increases the likelihood. The main analyses are conducted at a broad disciplinary level, and supplementary analyses at a finer level confirm that the observed patterns are consistent across different degrees of disciplinary granularity. The study argues that a comprehensive assessment of interdisciplinarity requires both co-author- and reference-based measures to capture the full spectrum of interdisciplinary research activities, from team formation to final output.

Keywords: Interdisciplinarity; Co-authors; Disciplinary diversity; Collaborations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-025-05453-5

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