Scientometrics

Sociology Journals and Network Proprieties of the Matthew Effect

Science is a political field. As stated in Bourdieu, science is the locus of competitive struggle for the monopoly of authority. Using bibliometrics data, I explore one of the possible ways in which the so-called Matthew effect unfolds, looking at the citation patterns that sociological journals followed in 2017. The results suggest the existence of an echo-chamber effect, where certain kind of information continuously circulate within close circles. More impactful journals maintain their position also because information resonate within circles of mutual reinforcement.