Closer in time and higher correlation: disclosing the relationship between citation similarity and citation interval

Investigating the intricate relationship between citation similarity and the citation interval offers vital insights for refining citation recommendation systems and enhancing citation evaluation models. This is also a new perspective for understanding citation patterns. In this study, we used the Library and Information Science (LIS) field as an example to determine and discuss the correlation between citation similarity and the citation interval. Using the methods of data collection, paper title preprocessing, text vectorization based on simCSE, calculation of citation similarity and the citation interval, and calculation of the index per citing paper, this study found the following LIS domain-based results: (i) there is a significant negative correlation between citation similarity and the citation interval, but the correlation coefficient is low. (ii) The citation intervals of the least relevant series of cited papers exhibit a more pronounced susceptibility to citation similarity than the most relevant series of cited papers. (iii) The citation intervals of the most relevant cited papers are more concentrated within 12 years and more likely to be published within the average citation interval, typically from the newer half of the cited paper list and published later within 5 years of the citation half-life. This study concludes that researchers usually pay more attention to the latest and most cutting-edge and strongly relevant existing research than to weakly relevant existing research. Continuous attention and timely incorporation of knowledge into the research direction will promote a more rapid and specialized diffusion of knowledge. These findings are influenced by the accelerated dissemination of information via Internet, heightened academic competition, and the concentration of research endeavors in specialized disciplines. This study not only contributes to the scholarly discussion of citation analysis but also lays the foundation for future exploration and understanding of citation patterns.