The spatiotemporal relationship between usage data and topic popularity in scientific literature

Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, vol. 76, pp. 1241–1257

Abstract

Abstract This study explored the spatiotemporal relationship between usage data (measured by PDF downloads and HTML views) and topic popularity (measured by the number of publications) in scientific literature. Using a panel dataset of over 2.3 million papers and 130 million usage records from IEEE Xplore, we develop a theoretical framework grounded in attention economy theory and the competitive exclusion principle. By using fixed effects model, the instrumental variable method, and the spatial Durbin model, we discover that how often a topic is used greatly increases its future popularity, while usage data from related topics have a negative impact. This study provides solid preliminary evidence for using usage data in detecting research hotspots. Additionally, this study innovatively proposes two methods for constructing spatial weight matrices based on topic semantic vectors, offering a concrete pathway for integrating spatial econometrics with spatial scientometrics.

Authors 4

1. Xianwen Wang

   Dalian University of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   WISE Lab Institute of Science of Science and S&T Management, Dalian University of Technology Dalian China

   WISE Lab Institute of Science of Science and S&T Management, Dalian University of Technology Dalian China

2. Wencan Tian corresponding

   Beijing Normal University · Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai

   Affiliation as printed

   Center for Computational Communication Research Beijing Normal University Zhuhai China

   School of Journalism and Communication Beijing Normal University Beijing China

   School of Journalism and Communication, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

3. Ruonan Cai

   Shandong University

   Affiliation as printed

   School of Business Shandong University Weihai China

   School of Business, Shandong University, Weihai, China

4. Zhichao Fang Aachen Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands Centre for Science and Technology Studies

   Leiden University · Renmin University of China

   Affiliation as printed

   Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands

   School of Information Resource Management Renmin University of China Beijing China

   Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

   School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China