Beyond Citations: An Epistemic Framework for Evaluating the Knowledge Structure of Scientific Articles

Abstract

Scientific articles constitute the primary unit of communication in modern science, yet evaluating their epistemic contribution remains challenging. Existing approaches, including peer review and citation-based metrics, capture only selected aspects of scientific value and provide limited insight into the internal structure of scientific knowledge. This study proposes a multidimensional epistemic framework for analysing the knowledge structure and potential impact of scientific publications. The framework consists of three complementary indices: the Conceptual Density Index (CDI), reflecting the structured development of scientific reasoning within an article; the Thematic Novelty Index (TNI), describing the extent to which a study introduces novel research themes or conceptual directions; and the Knowledge Integration Index (KII), capturing the degree to which the article integrates knowledge across conceptual or disciplinary boundaries. Together, these indices capture key mechanisms of scientific development: the structuring of scientific reasoning, the emergence of new research themes, and the integration of knowledge across domains. Their interaction can be represented through aggregated indicators describing the overall epistemic configuration of a scientific article. The proposed framework provides a simple epistemic scientometric tool for analysing scientific publications and may support future research on the structural evaluation of scientific knowledge beyond traditional citation-based metrics.

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