Analyzing the inter-domain vs intra-domain knowledge flows

Abstract: Similar to how innovations often find success in fields other than their original domains, in this study we explore whether the same holds true for scientific discoveries. We investigate the flow of knowledge across scientific disciplines, focusing on connections between citing and cited publications. Specifically, we analyze the connections among cited publications from 2015 indexed in the Web of Science and their citing counterparts to measure rates of knowledge dissemination within and across different fields. Our study aims to address key research questions concerning the disparities between inter- and intra-domain knowledge dissemination rates, the correlation between knowledge dissemination types and scholarly impact, as well as the evolution of knowledge dissemination patterns over time. These findings deepen our understanding of knowledge flows and offer practical insights with significant implications for evaluative bibliometrics.