The Hidden “Sleeping Beauty” Phenomenon in the Knowledge Ecosystem

Knowledge is not created and spread in a straight, immediate line.

From the perspective of social network analysis (SNA) and bibliometric networks, some knowledge nodes enter the mainstream network immediately upon publication, generating countless new links. Others, despite genuine intrinsic value, go unnoticed for years.

Dutch scientometrician van Raan coined the term “Sleeping Beauty in Science” to describe this fairy-tale-like pattern: a paper lies dormant, largely uncited, then suddenly receives explosive attention at some later point. [Van Raan, A. F. (2004)]

• A Sleeping Beauty (SB) is a paper or technological invention whose value is recognized only long after publication.
• The Prince (PR) is the pivotal follow-up work or intermediary publication that cites the SB and draws it into the mainstream networks of academia and industry.