Measuring the Centrality of the References in Scientific Papers

Citation analysis is considered as major and one of the most popular branches of bibliometrics. Citation analysis is based on the assumption that all citations have similar values and weights each equally. Specific research fields like content-based citation analysis (CCA) seeks to explain the "how" and "why" of citation behavior. In this paper we tackle to explain the "how" from a centrality indicator based on factors which are built automatically according to the authors' citation behavior. This indicator allows to evaluate bibliographical references' importance for reading the paper with which user interacts. From objective quantitative measurements, factors are computed in order to characterize the level of granularity where citations are used. By the setting of the centrality indicator's factors we can highlight citations which tend towards a partial or a global construction of the authors' discourse. We carry out a pilot study in which we test our approach on some papers and discuss the challenges in carrying out the citation analysis in this context. Our results show interesting and consistent correlations between the level of granularity and the significance of citation influences.