Citation network analysis for supporting continuous improvement in higher education

Colicchia, Claudia; Creazza, Alessandro; Strozzi, Fernanda

Abstract

Continuous improvement in Higher Education can be supported by effective literature reviews to unveil contemporary and current educational needs and lay the foundations of programmes of study. As no discipline remains static, the aim of this paper is to present a methodology for conducting literature reviews that can complement traditional content-based reviews by revealing the dynamic evolution of a discipline. This methodology is represented by citation network analysis (CNA), a collection of tools that help to detect the dynamics of a field through computer-based systematic analyses of its bibliographic data. Notwithstanding its potential, CNA has been seldom adopted to conduct literature reviews. In this paper, CNA was applied to the evolving field of logistics and supply chain management education. Results provide evidence of the benefits of CNA for the identification of key issues, trends, and evolutionary trajectories supporting continuous improvement in Higher Education in a more scientific and objective way.

Citation

Colicchia, C., Creazza, A., & Strozzi, F. (2018). Citation network analysis for supporting continuous improvement in higher education. Studies in higher education, 43(9), 1637-1653. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1276550

• Acceptance Date: Dec 18, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jan 30, 2017
• Publication Date: 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 16, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 31, 2018
• Journal: Studies in higher education
• Print ISSN: 0307-5079
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-174X
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 1637-1653
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1276550
• Keywords: Citation network analysis; Literature review; Higher education; Continuous improvement; Logistics and supply chain management
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/448421
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2016.1276550
• Additional Information: This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Studies in higher education, 2017. The version of record is available at the DOI link in this record.