How to Build Co-Authorship, Co-Citation, and Keyword Co-Occurrence Maps
The three maps that appear most frequently in Q1 bibliometric articles are Co-Authorship, Co-Citation, and Keyword Co-Occurrence. But did you know that many novice researchers mix them up — for example, drawing thematic structure conclusions from a co-authorship map, or claiming international collaboration from a co-citation map? Experienced reviewers spot this mistake immediately and it often becomes grounds for major revision. This article explains precisely when to use which map, how to build them in VOSviewer and Biblioshiny, and how to interpret the results. If you want maps that truly “tell a story” in your results chapter, the Corvexum team is ready to produce a professional, submission-ready version for you.
1. Co-Authorship Map: The Social Collaboration Network
What it measures: how often two authors (or institutions, or countries) appear together in a single document. One line between two nodes = they have collaborated; line thickness = intensity of collaboration.
Unit of analysis choices:
- Authors — to see key actors and micro collaboration networks
- Organizations — to map institutional collaboration
- Countries — for international collaboration analysis
How to build in VOSviewer: select Type of analysis: Co-authorship, unit of analysis as needed, counting method Full counting (more accurate) or Fractional counting (fairer for multi-author papers). Threshold of minimum 2-5 documents to keep the map from being filled with noise.
Key interpretation: Same-color clusters = tight collaborator groups. Large nodes on a cluster’s edge that connect to other clusters are international collaboration brokers.
2. Co-Citation Map: The Intellectual Structure of the Field
What it measures: how often two works (documents, journals, or authors) are cited together by other works in your dataset. Two documents frequently mentioned together in one citation mean the scientific community considers them “one reference package”.
Three unit levels:
- Cited References — reveals foundational works (seminal papers)
- Cited Sources — maps the field’s core journals
- Cited Authors — identifies the main thinkers shaping discourse
How to build: in VOSviewer select Type of analysis: Co-citation. In Biblioshiny, use Cited References → Co-citation Network. Higher thresholds (typically 20+ citations) because reference data is very dense.
Key interpretation: Clusters represent schools of thought or intellectual streams. Large nodes = foundational works. Thick lines = two works the community always views as a pair.
3. Keyword Co-Occurrence Map: Thematic Structure
What it measures: how often two keywords appear together in the same document. Keywords that co-occur frequently = closely related topics.
Keyword sources:
- Author Keywords — most recommended because they reflect the authors’ chosen terms
- Keywords Plus (WoS) — auto-generated from citations, good as a supplement
- Title/Abstract terms — for initial exploration when keywords are incomplete
How to build: in VOSviewer select Type of analysis: Co-occurrence, unit All keywords or Author keywords. Mandatory: use a thesaurus file to merge synonyms (e.g., “AI”, “artificial intelligence”, “A.I.”). Without a thesaurus, your map will be full of duplicates.
Key interpretation: Clusters = sub-topics of your research field. Central nodes of a cluster = core concepts of the sub-topic. Nodes on cluster boundaries = potential thematic bridges for interdisciplinary research.
Fundamental Differences Often Overlooked
| Aspect | Co-Authorship | Co-Citation | Co-Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analyzes | Social collaboration | Intellectual structure | Thematic structure |
| Answers question | “Who works with whom?” | “What is the intellectual foundation?” | “What are the sub-topics?” |
| Node size | Number of documents | Number of citations | Keyword frequency |
| Safe threshold | 2-5 documents | 20+ citations | 5+ occurrences |
🎯 Decision Framework: Which Map Should You Build?
- Research question focus = “who are the key actors & their collaboration patterns?” → Co-Authorship (prioritize: authors & countries).
- Research question focus = “which works/journals form this field’s intellectual foundation?” → Co-Citation (prioritize: cited references & cited sources).
- Research question focus = “what are the sub-topics & how are they related?” → Keyword Co-Occurrence (prioritize: author keywords).
- Q1 bibliometric article standard: minimum 2 of 3, ideally all three with complementary narratives.
🚀 Need a 3-Map Bibliometric Package Ready to Submit?
Building one map is easy. Building three maps that tell a consistent story together — that’s the real challenge. A wrong threshold, wrong unit of analysis, or forgotten thesaurus can make your entire results chapter look amateurish to reviewers. The Corvexum team handles the complete package for you:
- ✅ Co-Authorship maps at author, institution, and country levels
- ✅ Co-Citation maps for cited references, sources, and foundational authors
- ✅ Co-Occurrence maps with a professional keyword thesaurus
- ✅ Layered inter-map narrative ready to paste in your results chapter + 300+ DPI resolution
Or email: corvexum@gmail.com | Visit: corvexum.com/
Tinggalkan Balasan