From:           edgar@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Gerald Edgar)
Newsgroups:     sci.math
Subject:        Re: A Map of Mathematics
Date:           1 Oct 91 12:10:13 GMT
Organization:   The Ohio State University, Dept. of Math.

There is an interesting "Atlas of Science" project that has been undertaken
by the people that do the Science Citation Index.  As far as I know, only
the map for molecular biology has been published so far.  As I recall,
here is the procedure.  The citations in the literature are analyzed for
a certain period; those items cited most (from before the period) are
singled out as "citation classics".  Then the "distance" between research
papers of the period is determined by the number of citation
classics they cite in common.  They find that research papers tend to
fall into groups of closely related papers, which they call "specialties".
But also they get a distance between specialties.  Then they were able to
arrange the specialties in a plane so that the distances were approximated.
The result is a "Map" of the field of molecular biology.

Here is the bibliographic information:

ISI atlas of science: biochemistry and molecular biology: including
minireviews of 102 research front specialties.  1978/80-  Philadelphia, PA. :
Institute for Scientific Information,  1981-  v. :  ill. ;  29 cm.

--
  Gerald A. Edgar                Internet:  edgar@mps.ohio-state.edu
  Department of Mathematics      Bitnet:    EDGAR@OHSTPY
  The Ohio State University      telephone: 614-292-0395 (Office)
  Columbus, OH 43210              -292-4975 (Math. Dept.) -292-1479 (Dept. Fax)