According to Antonio Perianes-Rodriguez and from the perspective of Library Science and Documentation, little research has yet been conducted on scientific networking and its possible uses in ascertaining the composition of research groups, the differences in associations between specialities or departments, and the different policies that may be followed in this regard, depending on the institution or the domain analyzed. Traditionally, most studies on scientific collaboration have been geared to analyzing output, be it international or domestic, of a given scientific discipline or a research institution. Studies on smaller units such as departments or research groups are however less common.The work shown here, by Antonio Perianes-Rodriguez, focuses on a specific facet of scientific communication networks, namely scientific co-authorship networks, based on the premise that scientific communication is the essence of research, and research is only known as such when it has been analyzed and accepted by the scientific community, which gives it the status of a social activity. As the author explains: "Our objective is to create specialized network-based visualizations,
including diagrams of nodes and links that can be used as interfaces to
retrieve information. These interfaces provide data on the element matrices
and on the values of their attributes in a clear, easily understood,
explanatory and interactive way. They facilitate an understanding of the
structural context represented, transmitting detailed information to the
user about a variety of aspects relating to scientific collaboration and its
evolution over time, such as administrative position, gender, speciality
areas of research and the internal and external association patterns among
authors."
The visualization developed go beyond mere graphic representation to become
knowledge instruments able to reflect the evolution of collaboration
analyzed over time based on their own protagonists, emphasizing the
often-expressed idea of science as a social system in which scientists
exchange ideas, experiences, questions and solutions. Even though this
evolution is static and historic, the observation of its trends over time is
an invaluable tool for predictions and forecasts, in much the same way as
weather maps are.