A Comparison of Operations Research and Management Science Based on Bibliographic Citations

Abstract

The references that appear in footnotes and bibliographies have been used extensively as an “unobtrusive measure” of scientific communication. By analyzing large numbers of bibliographic citations, investigators in many fields have been able to discern significant sociological and historical patterns. For example, studies of citations have revealed the structure of scientific disciplines and the linkages between various subfields; the extent of collaboration, cooperation and interpersonal communication within research specialties; and the history, growth and impact of research areas and methodologies.In this paper, bibliographic citations are used to explore in depth the similarities and differences between the journals Management Science (MS) and Operations Research (OR). Specifically, references were analyzed in order to obtain answers to the following six questions: (1) Do OR and MS differ in the rate at which they introduce topics that have not previously received significant coverage in these journals? (2) To what extent do OR and MS treat related subject areas? (3) Is the concentration of subspecialties in OR different from those in MS? (4) Do the topics treated in OR have the same time perspective as those treated in MS? (5) Is there a difference in the extent to which OR and MS serve as sources and receivers of information? and (6) In which journal have the more outstanding papers appeared?