The boundary-spanning mechanisms of Nobel Prize winning papers

The breakthrough potentials of research papers can be explained by their boundary-spanning qualities. Here, for the first time, we apply the structural variation analysis (SVA) model and its affiliated metrics to investigate the extent to which such qualities characterize a group of Nobel Prize winning papers. We find that these papers share remarkable boundary-spanning traits, marked by exceptional abilities to connect disparate and topically-diverse clusters of research papers. Further, their publications exert structural variations on a scale that significantly alters the betweenness centrality distributions in existing intellectual space. Overall, SVA not only provides a set of leading indicators for describing future Nobel Prize winning papers, but also broadens our understanding of similar prize-winning properties that may have been overlooked among other regular publications.

Automated summary

The study applies the SVA model to investigate Nobel Prize winning papers, finding that they exhibit remarkable boundary-spanning traits and exert significant structural variations on existing intellectual space. SVA not only provides leading indicators for future Nobel Prize winning papers, but also broadens our understanding of prize-winning properties in academic publications.