Digital artifacts reveal development and diffusion of climate research

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Climate Change Research
• Knowledge Management

Background:

• Research for development organizations produce vast knowledge but lack systematic impact analysis due to resource constraints.
• Traditional bibliometric methods struggle to synthesize knowledge and analyze historical outputs effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate an integrated, web-based approach for analyzing knowledge production and diffusion from large-scale research programs.
• To assess the impact and reach of climate research from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

Main Methods:

• Utilized text mining, social network analysis, and hyperlink analysis on publicly available digital artifacts.
• Analyzed data from institutional repositories, citation databases, and social media to map knowledge dynamics.
• Applied the framework to CIMMYT's climate research as a case study.

Main Results:

• CIMMYT's climate research is integrated into a holistic systems approach.
• The institution actively engages in knowledge exchange with scientific, development, and public policy communities.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of the web-based framework in analyzing knowledge dissemination.

Conclusions:

• The proposed analytical framework provides an effective method for research and development organizations to assess knowledge production and reach.
• Leveraging online data sources is crucial for understanding the impact of research outputs.
• The approach facilitates systematic analysis of knowledge dissemination and engagement.