United They’re Cited: Impact of a Social Work Coauthor Network

Social work has emphasized the importance of the social environment, and social networks are an important means of understanding the social environment. The scholarship of a journal coauthor network provided important findings and an example. Prior theory and research suggested there are more citati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advances in social work 2016-02, Vol.16 (2), p.422-438
Main Author: Woehle, Ralph Edward
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abductive logic
citation achievement
coauthored articles
complexity theory
Network analysis
social work scholarship
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Summary:Social work has emphasized the importance of the social environment, and social networks are an important means of understanding the social environment. The scholarship of a journal coauthor network provided important findings and an example. Prior theory and research suggested there are more citations from the center of coauthor networks than at the periphery. Using abductive logic, complexity theory, social network analysis, and tabular analysis of a social work coauthor network, the center of the network was found to produce more citations than the periphery. Both the prestige of coauthors’ setting and position were modestly associated with network centrality and citations. The functionality of citations, which includes the contribution to good scholarship, is questioned. Areas of further research and issues of evaluating coauthored scholarship are discussed. Placing greater value on coauthoring and publishing with less prominent coauthors for tenure and similar decisions is recommended.
ISSN:1527-8565
2331-4125
DOI:10.18060/18426