ABSTRACT

Knowledge is socially constructed, and one way that researchers convey knowledge is through citation practices within research texts to illustrate the foundation upon which current research is designed and results interpreted. Citation network analysis (CNA) is a review method that seeks to map the scientific structure of a field of research as a function of citation practices. Generally speaking, research texts that receive more citations from others symbolizes a degree of prominence to a field of study; however, the more common approaches to synthesizing research in the form of a review (e.g. meta-analyses, systematic reviews) are not able to capture these underlying metrics. Given that CNA is relatively new to the field of sport and exercise psychology, we first provide an overview of the method, including a brief review of network theory, existing research in the field of sport and exercise psychology, and some of the important limitations to consider. Then, we offer a series of guidelines to direct CNA reviews from the conception of a research question to the visualization of a citation network. Finally, we conclude the review with an overview of recent methodological advancements with potential to expand research questions and benefit future citation network research.

摘要

知识是社会建构的，研究人员传达知识的一种方式是通过研究文本中的引用实践来说明当前研究设计和结果解释的基础。引文网络分析 (CNA) 是一种审查方法，旨在将研究领域的科学结构映射为引文实践的函数。一般来说，被他人引用较多的研究文章象征着在研究领域中的突出程度；然而，更常见的以综述形式综合研究的方法（例如荟萃分析、系统综述）无法捕捉这些基本指标。鉴于 CNA 在运动和运动心理学领域相对较新，我们首先提供该方法的概述，包括对网络理论的简要回顾，运动和运动心理学领域的现有研究，以及一些需要考虑的重要局限性。然后，我们提供了一系列指导 CNA 评论从研究问题的概念到引文网络的可视化的指南。最后，我们概述了最近的方法学进步，这些进步有可能扩大研究问题并有利于未来的引文网络研究。