An analysis of the structure and evolution of a disciplinary field
The data analysis presented here was conducted as part of a historiographical project focused on the life trajectories and scientific work of a group of astronomers and physicists, whose information is available in the Wikidata information system.
We adopt a primarily descriptive approach aimed at highlighting the key characteristics of the population, such as its distribution over time, the geographical distribution of its origins, and basic attributes such as gender, educational and professional institutions, and academic disciplines.
The original research plan could not be carried out due to a lack of information available on Wikidata. We had planned to supplement this information with data from other information systems, particularly those cataloguing publications by the target population. However, we were unable to carry out this project due to technical difficulties related to querying Wikidata.