Relationship between authors’ structural position in the collaboration network and research productivity: Case of Indian earth scientists

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compute and analyze the topological properties of co-authorship network formed between earth scientists in India. As a case study, the authors evaluate bibliographic data of authors who have contributed research articles in the Journal of the Geological Society of India, a premier earth science journal in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Research articles totaling 3,903 records from 1970 to 2011 were harvested from the ISI Web of Science SCI database and analyzed using Social Network Analysis.

Findings

The author productivity in terms of number of papers published followed Lotka's law with β=2.1027. A dense giant component was detected that spanned 73 percent of the network with a density of 0.0017 and clustering coefficient of 0.631, suggesting high level of knowledge diffusion and a rapid flow of information and creativity in this network. Local metrics were calculated using degree, betweenness and closeness centralities. A strong correlation was seen between degree and author productivity (number of works) and betweenness centrality and author productivity, suggesting that author's number of connections and controlling “in-between” position in the network may be providing the authors’ with the knowledge and resources to be more productive.

Originality/value

The impact of human actions on the earth systems is a hot topic of research in India. This is one of the first works that investigates co-authorship networks of Indian earth science researchers.

Citation

Kumar, S. and Mohd. Jan, J. (2014), "Relationship between authors’ structural position in the collaboration network and research productivity: Case of Indian earth scientists", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 48 No. 4, pp. 355-369. https://doi.org/10.1108/PROG-01-2013-0002