A bird's-eye view of scientific trading: Dependency relations among fields of science

Erjia Yan, Ying Ding, Blaise Cronin and Loet Leydesdorff

Journal of Informetrics, 2013, vol. 7, issue 2, 249-264

Abstract: We use a trading metaphor to study knowledge transfer in the sciences as well as the social sciences. The metaphor comprises four dimensions: (a) Discipline Self-dependence, (b) Knowledge Exports/Imports, (c) Scientific Trading Dynamics, and (d) Scientific Trading Impact. This framework is applied to a dataset of 221 Web of Science subject categories. We find that: (i) the Scientific Trading Impact and Dynamics of materials science and transportation science have increased; (ii) biomedical disciplines, physics, and mathematics are significant knowledge exporters, as is statistics and probability; (iii) in the social sciences, economics, business, psychology, management, and sociology are important knowledge exporters; and (iv) Discipline Self-dependence is associated with specialized domains which have ties to professional practice (e.g., law, ophthalmology, dentistry, oral surgery and medicine, psychology, psychoanalysis, veterinary sciences, and nursing).

Keywords: Scientific trading; Knowledge export; Knowledge import; Disciplinary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:infome:v:7:y:2013:i:2:p:249-264

DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2012.11.008

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