Testing structural-equivalence hypotheses in a network of geographical journals

Most clustering representations of journal-to-journal networks are static and pay little attention to the intellectual state of a discipline(s). The status-role hypothesis is no exception, notwithstanding its substantive grounding and confirmation for both psychological- and sociological-journal networks at distinct time points. A critical test of this hypothesis is provided in a pair of geographical-journal networks for 1970–1972 and for 1980–1982. The latter was generated after a period of great change and intellectual ferment. As expected, the status-role hypothesis was confirmed for 1970–1972 but not for 1980–1982. This result indicates the need to consider wider disciplinary conditions when interpreting clustering representation of journal networks. It also implies a need to consider the time scale of the social processes of science. A related hypothesis of a center-periphery structure for journal networks was confirmed for both periods.