Single link coauthor clusters are identified at various threshold combinations of productivity and collaboration found in the medical literature on schistosomiasis from 1977 to 1982. Using the Random Graph Hypothesis and a measure of statistical disorder of the partition, particular threshold combinations can be identified at which structures are least likely to have occurred by chance. Cut point analysis and the measure of statistical disorder of the partition are used to identify those authors who, when removed from the cluster, cause the greatest increase in statistical disorder. These authors are identified as important links in the chain of information transfer within this medical specialty. To determine if empirical evidence supports the analytical choices, the identified authors are evaluated by several empirical measures: productivity, grantsmanship, impact of published works on evaluators of the field, and influence of publications upon peers.
展开▼
