diffusion of latent semantic analysis as a research tool: a social network analysis approach
DESCRIPTION
Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) is a relatively new research tool with a wide range of applications in different fields ranging from discourse analysis to cognitive science, from information retrieval to machine learning and so on. In this paper, we chart the development and diffusion of LSA as a research tool using Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach that reveals the social structure of a discipline in terms of collaboration among scientists. Using Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science (WoS), we identified 65 papers with “Latent Semantic Analysis” in their titles and 250 papers in their topics (but not in titles) between 1990 and 2008. We then analyzed those papers using bibliometric and SNA techniques such as co-authorship and cluster analysis. It appears that as the emphasis moves from the research tool (LSA) itself to its applications in different fields, citations to papers with LSA in their titles tend to decrease. The productivity of authors fits Lotka’s Law while the network of authors is quite loose. Networks of journals cited in papers with LSA in their titles and topics are well connected.TRANSCRIPT
Slide 1Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
Diffusion of Latent Semantic Analysis as a Research Tool:
A Social Network Analysis Approach
Yaşar TontaYaşar TontaHacettepe University
Department of Information Management
yunus.hacettepe.edu.tr/~tonta/
Hamid DarvishHamid DarvishÇankaya University
Department of Computer Engineering
academic.cankaya.edu.tr/~darvish/
Slide 2Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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oBackgroundoResearch questions and hypothesesoData sources and methodoFindingsoConclusion
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Outline
Slide 3Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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o Knowledge acquisition, induction and representation tool (Plato’s problem)
o Fully automatic technique to extract meaning and infer relations among words in passages of discourse
o Uses Singular Value Decomposition techniqueo Applications in information retrieval, cognitive science,
knowledge acquisition, machine learning, intelligent tutoring systems, computational biology
o Improves information retrieval (cf. Vector Space or Boolean models)
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Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA)
Slide 4Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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o How fast did LSA as a research tool diffuse and become a part of the regular scientific discourse in different fields?
o As LSA becomes a more mainstream research tool, does the number of papers on LSA decrease?
o Do fewer papers with LSA in their titles get published while the number of papers with LSA in their topics increase?
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Research Questions
Slide 5Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Data Sources & Methods• Searched Web of
Science for literature on LSA (1990-2008)
• 65 papers with “latent semantic analysis” in their titles (only)
• 250 papers with “latent semantic analysis” in their their topics (but not in their titles)
• Bibliometric methods– Lotka’s Square Law– Citation analysis– Co-authorship analysis
• Social Network Analysis– Cluster analysis– Centrality measures
• Density• Betweenness• Closeness
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Slide 6Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Findings
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Slide 7Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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# of papers on LSA and # of times cited
Slide 8Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Three LSA papers (citation classics)
Slide 9Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Citations to seminal LSA papers
Slide 10Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Centrality measures for journals cited in papers with LSA in titles and topics
# of Journals Density Betweenness Closeness
LSA in Title 275 0.31840 0.06155 0.71958
LSA in Topic 1,001 0.29466 0.02866 0.69763
Slide 11Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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The most prolific LSA researchers
Slide 12Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Network of LSA researchers with specialties
Slide 13Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Network of journals cited in papers with LSA in titles
Slide 14Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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Network of journals cited in papers with LSA in topics
Slide 15Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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# of terms in cocited papers with LSA in titles
Slide 16Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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# of terms in cocited papers with LSA in topics
Slide 17Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
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• LSA is a multidisciplinary method• Data fits Lotka’s Square Law• Most prolific LSA researchers are Landauer, Kitsch,
Foltz and Laham.• The network of LSA reserachers is quite loose• The network of the journals citing LSA papers is quite
dense• LSA is an indispensable part of the scientific
discourse.
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Conclusion
Slide 18Symposium on Informetrics and Scientometrics Research, 2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Nov. 6-11, 2009, Vancouver,
Canada.
Diffusion of Latent Semantic Analysis as a Research Tool:
A Social Network Analysis Approach
Yaşar TontaYaşar TontaHacettepe University
Department of Information Management
yunus.hacettepe.edu.tr/~tonta/
Hamid DarvishHamid DarvishÇankaya University
Department of Computer Engineering
academic.cankaya.edu.tr/~darvish/