Professor Loet Leydesdorff: A Tribute

Abstract:

Journal of Scientometric Research pays Tribute to this extraordinary scholar who made such a difference to the research community spread across a vast disciplinary terrain that covered Sociology, Scientometrics, Innovation studies, Science-Technology-Society Studies, Communication studies, and Network theory. Leydesdorff’s work in scientometrics is voluminous and covers various domains of the field. His papers have been highly cited and provided novel pathways for future research. He has published several books which has been of immense value to the research community. Many of his works have become part of the pedagogy of this field. The intellectual depth of his work, clarity, and daring approach has characterized his research. He has played a seminal role in conceptualizing the citation behavior, and co-citation patterns among others, and had taken a critical stance whenever needed in arguing the relevance and validity of bibliometric indicators. He has worked hard to bring novel methodology, new tools, and techniques to the field at large. This includes the development of network analysis techniques for studying the structure and evolution of scientific collaboration networks. He also developed the highly useful ‘Science Overlay Maps’ method, which uses network visualization techniques to identify research fronts and emerging topics in science. The tools and methodologies that he has developed have been widely shared in open access for the research community at large. https://www.leydesdorff.net/software.htm is a wonderful site that provides a rich repository of his work, a link to the openaccess software developed by him for undertaking various bibliometric research, mapping, visualization, etc.  Read more..