Structure of international collaboration in science-part II: Comparisons of profiles in countries using a link indicator

Abstract

In this article, the behaviors of countries in scientific production activities are investigated using an asymmetrical matrix system to analyze data collected from theScience Citation Index. Examination of international collaboration, intercountry relationships, and domestic scientific output patterns structured by 98 countries in eight principal fields of science reveal diverse aspects of country behaviors. Three asymmetrical matrixes are established and the multidimentional Minimum Spanning Tree technique is applied to classify, visualize and determine the distinctive characteristics of country profiles. Investigations are conducted at both a macro (country behavior) and a micro (particular city behavior) level in order to demonstrate the applicability of the methodology and to obtain global observations of country behaviors. It is argued that these methods contribute to reveal traditions and policies of countries, universities and research organizations as well as that of the international network of scientific exchange. Further usage of these methodologies is advocated for policy analysis.