Research trends and activity in the computer sciences, as identified by citation analysis (abstract only)

Abstract

Major research activity and trends in the computer sciences can be identified utilizing citation analyses of the journal literature in the ISI® database. Primary among these methods of analysis is ISI's co-citation clustering. By grouping documents which reference or cite common pairs of older documents, an automatic classification of research activity is achieved. Through this analysis, areas of intense research activity and rapid advance—Research Fronts—are identified. These Research Fronts can then be used to identify key documents in a given area of research, for SDI, to simplify topic searching, as quality filters in the retrieval of research literature, and as the basis for conceptual mapping of scholarly research. Examples will be given of Research Fronts in the computer sciences, and the interpretation and utilization of these groupings will be discussed. Research Fronts are available in ISI's CompuMath Citation Index®, an index to computing and mathematics literature. ISI is a major producer of computer-generated information services, including print indexes and online databases such as the Science Citation Index® and its online version, SCISEARCH®.