A comparative citation analysis study of Web-based and print journal-based scholarly communication in the XML research field

Through an author citation analysis approach, the present study explores the possibility of new and different scholarly communication studies opened up by the increasingly available data and tools on the Web. It compares the scholarly communication patterns revealed from research papers published on the Web as indexed by ResearchIndex (http://www.researchindex.com) with those demonstrated in print journals as indexed by Science Citation Index (SCI) in the XML research field. It also evaluates the usefulness of citation data and tools on the Web for citation analysis studies, and explores their possible improvements and the requirements for a problem solving environment (PSE) for scholarly communication research.; Findings from this study indicate that the two groups of XML scholars who publish on the Web and in print journals share very few publications, and are concerned with different issues. They however collectively have very similar views of author visibility and the major intellectual structure of the XML research field.; Conclusions are thus drawn that the evaluation of scholars and the examination of intellectual structures based on the collective view of citers on the Web should be considered as equally valid as those based on citers' view in journals in the XML research field. In order to gain a complete picture of the scholarly communication patterns in the XML research field, multiple data sources should be used rather than only SCI or only ResearchIndex .; A “two-tier system” in scholarly communication seems to be evidenced in the present study, in which research would largely be initially reported on the Web to obtain priority and fast recognition and then gradually distributed through other more formal channels such as journals to gain formal acceptance.; A PSE for scholarly communication research is found to be a solution to the problems with existing citation data and tools on the Web. It would not only facilitate the study of scholarly communication but also contribute to the improvement of scholarly communication systems. The exploration of such a PSE in the present study is a start of its design and implementation, and hopefully will lead to a full discussion in the future.