Citation content analysis (cca): A framework for syntactic and semantic analysis of citation content

Abstract

This paper proposes a new framework for Citation Content Analysis (CCA), for syntactic and semantic analysis of citation content that can be used to better analyze the rich sociocultural context of research behavior. The framework could be considered the next generation of citation analysis. This paper briefly reviews the history and features of content analysis in traditional social sciences, and its previous application in Library and Information Science. Based on critical discussion of the theoretical necessity of a new method as well as the limits of citation analysis, the nature and purposes of CCA are discussed, and potential procedures to conduct CCA, including principles to identify the reference scope, a two-dimensional (citing and cited) and two-modular (syntactic and semantic modules) codebook, are provided and described. Future works and implications are also suggested.