EconPapers    
Economics at your fingertips  
 

Measuring knowledge complexity in the biomedical domain based on a question-method knowledge representation model

Ming Ma, Jin Mao, Zhentao Liang, Zhejun Zheng and Gang Li

Journal of Informetrics, 2025, vol. 19, issue 2

Abstract: In nowadays knowledge-driven economy, knowledge complexity plays a crucial role in gaining a competitive advantage. In the biomedical field, this complexity spurs innovation and enables resource monopolization. Previous studies on knowledge complexity have primarily examined the interactions between knowledge units and nonknowledge systems from a macro perspective. These analyses often overlook how the micro-level components of knowledge influence its overall complexity. This study marks a departure from such approaches by conceptualizing biomedical knowledge in terms of questions and methods, as well as proposing a novel method to measure knowledge complexity. This approach emphasizes the exploration of connections between knowledge units by constructing a question-method bipartite network. The validity of our methodology was rigorously tested through controlled experiments involving random networks and a comprehensive review of the relevant literature. Furthermore, this study reveals the relationship between knowledge complexity and dissemination, suggesting that the more complex knowledge is, the more likely it will be cited frequently. Internal knowledge flows within the same research question exhibit greater sensitivity to knowledge complexity than external flows. This study can help demystify the sophisticated scientific knowledge system and provides detailed insights into the complexity of scientific knowledge and dissemination mechanisms.

Keywords: knowledge complexity; question-method model; knowledge dissemination; knowledge representation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751157725000318
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:infome:v:19:y:2025:i:2:s1751157725000318

DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2025.101667

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Informetrics is currently edited by Leo Egghe

More articles in Journal of Informetrics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().

 
Page updated 2025-06-17
Handle: RePEc:eee:infome:v:19:y:2025:i:2:s1751157725000318