Influence of interdisciplinarity of scientific papers on the durability of citation diffusion: A perspective from citation discontinuance

Whether interdisciplinarity leads to greater success in research remains a question that is still unresolved. Investigating the impact of interdisciplinarity of scientific papers on the durability of their citation diffusion is of significant importance. Combining the concept of discontinuance in the theory of innovation diffusion and citation trajectory scenarios, this study proposes the definition and measurement indicators of Citation Discontinuance (CD), and examines the feasibility of using CD as a descriptor for the durability of citation diffusion. Using CD-related features as the dependent variable, hierarchical multiple regression is employed to explore the influence of interdisciplinarity of scientific papers on the durability of citation diffusion. The findings reveal that CD is commonly observed in citation diffusion and can serve as an indicator for describing the durability of citation diffusion. From the perspective of CD, the interdisciplinarity of scientific papers shows a positive impact on the durability of citation diffusion. This effect will also vary by discipline.