Socioplastics 11959 The Most Connected Is Not the Most Relevant
An intellectual map can show where references accumulate and still mislead readers about where an explanation should begin. CentralityCrown names the conversion of visibility into presumed authority: a prominent node receives further attention because its prominence is treated as a reason to trust it. This promotion is social and institutional rather than an intrinsic property of citation counts. Robert K. Merton’s analysis of the Matthew effect examines cumulative advantages granted to recognised scientists. Derek J. de Solla Price studies the growth of scientific literature and the patterned distribution of publication and citation. Their work helps distinguish the structure of a network from the authority assigned to particular positions within it. A literature review could compare highly cited work with less visible studies, including local, methodological or critical research. The researcher would record how databases rank material, which languages and disciplines appear and how citation counts influence funding or course reading lists. This account would show where attention concentrates and which interpretive paths become easier to follow. CentralityCrown helps researchers examine how network position becomes a signal of authority. It does not dismiss citation analysis; it asks what additional histories explain the distribution. The marker can guide reviews that combine citation patterns with contextual reading, helping readers distinguish visibility from explanatory relevance and trace how attention shapes intellectual fields. It can also support teaching and editorial decisions by making criteria for assigning authority explicit. The resulting analysis can reveal how citation practices affect which questions, methods and researchers receive sustained attention.
REFERENCES
Merton, R.K. (1968) “The Matthew effect in science”, Science, 159(3810), pp. 56–63.
Price, D.J. de Solla (1963) Little Science, Big Science. New York: Columbia University Press.
CITE AS
Lloveras, A. (2026) Socioplastics, LAPIEZA-LAB, Madrid.
https://antolloveras.blogspot.com/p/socioplastics-project-index.html