Shaping a Highly Interdisciplinary Field: Author Disciplines and Research Topics in Museology

Lin, Hsiang-Jou; Weng, Wei-Jing; Chang, Yu-Wei

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132969 Copy

Description

Title

Shaping a Highly Interdisciplinary Field: Author Disciplines and Research Topics in Museology

Author(s)

• Lin, Hsiang-Jou
• Weng, Wei-Jing
• Chang, Yu-Wei

Issue Date

2026-03-12

Keyword(s)

• Museology
• Author discipline
• Research topic

Abstract

Introduction. This study examined the interdisciplinarity of museology by exploring how disciplinary backgrounds influence museology research topics. Method. A total of 1,757 articles published between 2020 and 2024 in 23 core museology journals indexed in Scopus were analyzed. Research topic was identified through the title, keywords, and abstract of each article. Author discipline was identified using subinstitutional information. Results. Among 1,311 museology-related articles, we identified 15 research topics contributed by authors from 44 disciplines. Topics concerning core museum functions, such as collections (11.4%) and exhibitions (10.9%), were the most prominent. Museology authors were the leading contributors across all topics, except for cultural heritage. However, nonmuseology authors accounted for 65% of all contributors and published more articles than museology authors did in 13 topics. Conclusion(s). The scope of 23 core museology journals extends beyond the field, and approximately 25% of the published articles addressed adjacent disciplines such as art, history, and architecture, which reflects the unclear boundaries of the field. In addition, the degree of collaboration between museology and nonmuseology researchers was limited, particularly because both groups tended to publish individually. This preference for single authorship, despite the field being highly interdisciplinary, represents a paradox that warrants further exploration.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2026 Proceedings

Type of Resource

Other

Genre of Resource

Conference Poster

Language

eng

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132969

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2026 is held by Hsiang-Jou Lin, Wei-Jing Weng, and Yu-Wei Chang. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

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