Unlocking Korean Nursing: A Social Network Analysis of Research Trends

Mira Elwood in Health & Wellness November 2025 • 4 min read.

"Delve into the evolving landscape of Korean nursing through a data-driven exploration of research topics and their interconnectedness."

Nursing research in Korea has experienced remarkable growth in both quantity and quality since its inception in the 1970s. To maintain its unique characteristics as a body of knowledge, while expanding through exchanges with various academic disciplines, nursing must analyze the trends of accumulated knowledge and project future directions for knowledge creation.

Previous studies analyzing the Korean nursing knowledge system can be broadly divided into: (1) studies targeting the entire field of nursing, and (2) studies focusing on specific topics. While these studies have provided valuable insights into the trends and directions of the nursing knowledge system, their reliance on qualitative methods presents limitations in terms of time, labor, and dependence on expert knowledge.

To overcome these limitations, a quantitative approach called bibliometrics is needed. Bibliometrics is a branch of information science that studies the dissemination and communication of knowledge by quantifying information expressed through texts. Among the various methods used in bibliometrics, co-word analysis is particularly useful for revealing the knowledge structure of a field by analyzing the patterns of co-occurrence of terms used in texts.

Mapping the Knowledge Web: Social Network Analysis in Nursing

Network of interconnected research topics in Korean nursing

This study employs social network analysis (SNA) to examine the co-occurrence patterns of research topics (terms) in the titles and abstracts of Korean nursing research papers. SNA is a method based on sociological and network theories that analyzes the relationships between entities (e.g., people, organizations, knowledge) represented as nodes and edges. This approach allows for a quantitative exploration of the structure and dynamics of the nursing knowledge domain.

Data Collection: Research papers published in eight Korean nursing journals from 1995 to 2009 were included in the analysis. The titles and abstracts of these papers were analyzed to identify key research topics and their relationships.

NDSL (http://www.ndsl.kr)
RISS4U
KMbase (http://kmbase.medric.or.kr)
DBpia (http://www.dbpia.co.kr)

Data Analysis: The collected data were preprocessed to extract noun phrases and generate a co-occurrence network based on cosine similarity. The network was then analyzed using Pajek, a social network analysis program, to identify key research topics, clusters, and emerging trends.

Implications for Future Research and Practice

This study provides a systematic overview of the knowledge structure of Korean nursing science, identifying key research topics, clusters, and emerging trends. The findings can be used to inform future research directions, identify areas for collaboration, and promote the development of evidence-based practice guidelines. By understanding the interconnectedness of research topics, nurses can gain a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the nursing knowledge domain and its relevance to practice.

About this Article -

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.4040/jkan.2011.41.5.623, Alternate LINK

Title: A Social Network Analysis Of Research Topics In Korean Nursing Science

Subject: General Nursing

Journal: Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing

Publisher: Korean Society of Nursing Science

Authors: Soo-Kyoung Lee, Senator Jeong, Hong-Gee Kim, Young-Hee Yom

Published: 2011-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is Social Network Analysis (SNA) and how is it used in this context?

The study uses Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine the relationships between research topics in Korean nursing. SNA is a method that allows for the quantitative exploration of the structure and dynamics within the nursing knowledge domain. It represents research topics as nodes and the connections between them as edges, providing a visual and quantifiable understanding of how different areas of nursing research are related. This is significant because it offers a structured, data-driven method for understanding the complex relationships within the field.

What is bibliometrics and why is it important for analyzing Korean nursing research?

Bibliometrics is a quantitative approach used to study the dissemination and communication of knowledge by quantifying information. In this context, bibliometrics is used to overcome the limitations of qualitative methods by analyzing the patterns of co-occurrence of terms in research papers. This method provides an efficient way to reveal the knowledge structure of Korean nursing, identifying key research topics and their relationships. It allows for a more objective and less labor-intensive analysis of the knowledge domain.

What is co-word analysis and how is it used in the study?

Co-word analysis is a specific method within bibliometrics that examines the patterns of how often words (or research topics) appear together in the titles and abstracts of research papers. By analyzing these co-occurrence patterns, this analysis reveals the knowledge structure of Korean nursing. This helps in identifying which topics are closely related, forming research clusters, and highlighting emerging trends within the field. This approach is useful for mapping the evolution and interconnectedness of ideas.

Why are the study's findings significant for the field of Korean nursing?

The study's findings are important because they offer a systematic overview of the knowledge structure in Korean nursing science. This can inform future research directions, facilitate collaboration between researchers, and promote the development of evidence-based practice guidelines. By identifying key research topics, clusters, and emerging trends, nurses and researchers can understand the interconnectedness of the nursing knowledge domain, improving practice and guiding future research efforts.

Where did the data for this study come from?

The data for the study were collected from eight Korean nursing journals published between 1995 and 2009. The titles and abstracts of research papers from these journals were analyzed to identify key research topics and their relationships. This approach ensures that the analysis is based on a wide range of published research within the specified timeframe. The analysis used specific databases such as NDSL, RISS4U, KMbase, and DBpia for data collection.