A comparative study on three citation windows for detecting research fronts

Mu-Hsuan Huang () and Chia-Pin Chang
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Mu-Hsuan Huang: National Taiwan University
Chia-Pin Chang: National Development Council

Scientometrics, 2016, vol. 109, issue 3, No 21, 1835-1853

Abstract: Abstract Research fronts represent areas of cutting-edge study in specific fields. They not only provide insights into current focuses and future trends, but also serve as crucial indicators for technology-related government policymaking. This study examined research fronts by using three citation window types (i.e., fixed citation windows, citing half life, and sliding windows). Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were adopted as the research area in comparing the evolution and development of research fronts from the three citation windows. The bibliographic coupling method was applied to identify the research fronts by using 210 highly cited articles in OLED research. The results indicated that among the three citation windows, sliding windows returned the highest number of research fronts, hence exhibiting maximal effectiveness. Furthermore, regarding effectiveness in detecting emerging fronts, both fixed citation windows and citing half life identified four emerging fronts, whereas sliding windows identified 11 emerging fronts, demonstrating optimal effectiveness.

Keywords: Research fronts; Bibliographic coupling; Citation windows; Fixed window; Sliding window; Citing half life; OLED (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-2133-9

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