The Intellectual Structure of ABSEL: A Bibliometeic Study of Author Cocitations over Time

Abstract

Learned fields typically have groups of writers who share ideas apart from the general field. Analyzing prolific authors and their cocitation patterns reveals basic orientations. A total of 29 ABSEL authors over 20 years of Proceedings can be called “influential” based on the number and time span of their contributions. All have histories of long strings of ABSEL publications, or considerable time spans over which their writings have appeared. However, only in the last five years have intellectual groups crystallized along two orientation dimensions:(1) Design-Evaluation and (2) Issues-Applications of business simulations and games. The orientations and groups identified here may help ABSEL chart its future, and/or they may identify collaborative opportunities for ABSEL authors in general.