From sand to networks: a study of multi-disciplinarity

TL;DR

This paper empirically analyzes co-authorship networks across scientific disciplines, revealing complex dynamics and phase transitions, and introduces a ferro-electric-like model to explain the observed structuring of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Contribution

It provides a novel empirical study of interdisciplinary co-authorship networks and proposes a new model to explain their structural evolution.

Findings

Identification of phase transition phenomena in co-authorship networks

Observation of cluster bouncing and merging behaviors

Development of a ferro-electric-like model for network structuring

Abstract

In this paper, we study empirically co-authorship networks of neighbouring scientific disciplines, and describe the system by two coupled networks. By considering a large time window, we focus on the properties of the interface between the disciplines. We also focus on the time evolution of the co-authorship network, and highlight a rich phenomenology including first order transition and cluster bouncing and merging. Finally, we present a ferro- electric-like model (CDIM), involving bond redistribution between the nodes, that reproduces qualitatively the structuring of the system in homogeneous phases