Exploring Citation Diversity in Scholarly Literature: An Entropy-Based Approach

Abstract

This study explores global citation diversity,examining its various patterns across countries and academic disciplines.We analyzed citation distributions in top institutes worldwide,revealing that the higher citation end of the distribution follow Power law or Pareto law pattern and the Pareto law's scaling exponent changes with the number of institutes considered.An entropy based novel citation inequality measure has been introduced, enhancing the precision of our analysis. Our findings show that countries with small and large economies often group similarly based on citation diversity, with shifting the groupings as the number of institutes considered changes.Moreover,we analyzed citation diversity among award-winning scientists across six scientific disciplines,finding significant variations.We also explored the evolution of citation diversity over the past century across multiple fields.A gender-based study in various disciplines highlights citation inequalities among male and female scientists.Our innovative citation diversity measure stands out as a vital tool for evaluating citation inequality,providing insights beyond what traditional citation counts can offer.This thorough analysis deepens our understanding of global scientific contributions and promotes a more equitable view of academic accomplishments.