Beyond Bibliometrics: Understanding Library Services in Multidisciplinary Research
Date
2019-04-06
Authors
Mahapasuthanon, Pattiya
Hoffman, Kimberly
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference
Abstract
Bibliometric methods, using citations as data, are an alternate way to learn from the literature of science and technology. These statistical methods are used, with visualization tools, to determine the relationship between authors and papers, scientific subjects reflected in publishing, and word or frequency occurrence. Bibliometrics are used by libraries to get a broad view of the growth, structure, connections and productivity of a discipline reflected in literature. This research studies trends and multidisciplinary connections across university researchers and campuses. With a strategic initiative from George Mason University (GMU) to become excellent in multidisciplinary research, Mason Libraries support multidisciplinary research activities. This study completes an analysis on bibliometric and funding across five centers at the GMU Science and Technology campus (SciTech) to understand research activities and interactions. Bibliometric network graphs were created from Web of Science (WoS) citation datasets and VOSViewer, a visualization tool. Federal RePORTER [documentation and analysis of inputs, outputs, and outcomes resulting from federal investments in science available: https://www.starmetrics.nih.gov/Star/About] and WoS were used to generate funding charts. For research activities not captured by scientific literature, and involving ongoing library resources, the creation of a pilot version of an interactive visualization for experience mapping was tested to successfully identify and seek new service opportunities. The results obtained from the bibliometric analysis indicate that libraries must plan to reach researchers in those relatively young multidisciplinary research institutes. The research trends at SciTech have shifted towards applied health and biological medicine according to the keyword analysis. From the funding analysis, the SciTech campus accounted for 30 percent of the total funded projects to GMU from National Institutes of Health (NIH). With these preliminary results, understanding resources and services the SciTech researchers and multidisciplinary researchers need will increase research connections and productivity. Future research will seek to incorporate more sophisticated tools to further understand impactful resources and plan for future library collaborations.
Description
Presented at the poster presentation session at the Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference on April 6, 2019 at the George Mason University campus in Arlington, Virginia.
Keywords
Citation
Mahapasuthanon, P., & Hoffman, K. M. (2019, April 26). Poster Design and Related Papers. Retrieved from osf.io/3rkyu