Analyzing the Scientific Community Focused on Nursing Informatics Using Publication Data

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Informatics
• Network Science
• Bibliometrics

Background:

• The nursing informatics community's collaborative structure is not well understood.
• Analyzing author co-authorship networks can reveal community dynamics and information flow.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map and analyze the network structure of the nursing informatics scientific community.
• To identify key authors and sub-communities within nursing informatics.

Main Methods:

• Graph theory and network analysis techniques were applied to author co-authorship data.
• Metrics such as average path length, diameter, and centrality measures were calculated.
• Community detection algorithms were used to partition the network.

Main Results:

• The nursing informatics community forms a large, interconnected subnet alongside numerous smaller, isolated author groups.
• High interconnectivity within the main subnet suggests robust information flow through multiple pathways.
• Centrality measures identified influential authors crucial for information dissemination.
• The large subnet was further partitioned into distinct sub-communities, some focusing on specific nursing informatics aspects.

Conclusions:

• Nursing informatics research is characterized by a core group of highly collaborative authors and specialized smaller clusters.
• Network analysis provides valuable insights into the structure and dynamics of scientific communities.
• Identifying central authors can aid in understanding and fostering knowledge dissemination in nursing informatics.