Mapping the Chinese Science Citation Database

TL;DR

This paper applies citation mapping methods to the Chinese Science Citation Database, revealing a dual structure of intellectual organization and institutional influence, highlighting Mode 2 characteristics in Chinese scientific knowledge production.

Contribution

It introduces the application of journal mapping techniques to the Chinese database, uncovering its dual structure and Mode 2 features compared to Western counterparts.

Findings

Dual journal structure: intellectual and institutional layers

Chinese database exhibits Mode 2 characteristics

Institutional context influences journal organization

Abstract

Methods developed for mapping the journal structures contained in aggregated journal-journal citations in the Science Citation Index are applied to the Chinese Science Citation Database of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This database covers 991 journals, of which only 37 had originally English titles. Using factor-analytical and graph-analytical techniques we show that this data is dually structured. The main structure is the intellectual organization of the journals in journal groups (as in the international SCI), but the university-based journals provide an institutional layer that orients this structure towards practical ends (e.g., agriculture). The Chinese Science Citation Database exhibits the characteristics of Mode 2 in the production of scientific knowledge more than its western counterparts. The contexts of application lead to correlation (interfactorial complexity) among the components.