Start Identifying Key Researchers
How It Works
We built a system for identifying key researchers in academic fields by applying Social Network Analysis (SNA) on citation data. Leveraging the comprehensive, open-access bibliographic database OpenAlex, the system constructs personalized, author-level citation networks using a method designed to capture the layered relationships among citations and citing authors. A composite ranking algorithm, which combines multiple centrality measures, including Degree, Weighted In-degree, Weighted Out-degree, and Eigenvector centrality, is then applied to rank researchers based on their influence, visibility, and structural role within the network. The system's output is an interactive, web-based interface that provides a ranked list of influential researchers.
Tool Effectiveness Validation
The effectiveness of this approach was empirically validated through an evaluation study involving 71 academic researchers from leading Israeli universities.
