Bibliometric delineation of scientific fields

Delineation of scientific domains (fields, areas of science) is a prior task in bibliometric studies at the meso-level, far from straightforward in domains with high multidisciplinarity, variety and instability. The Context section shows the connection of delineation problem to the question of disciplines vs. invisible colleges, through three combin-able models: ready-made classifications of science, classical information retrieval searches, mapping and clustering. They differ in the role and modalities of supervision. The Tools section sketches various bibliomet-ric techniques on the background of information retrieval, data analysis, network theory, showing both their power and their limitations in delin-eation processes. The role and modalities of supervision are emphasized. The section Multiple Networks and Hybridization addresses the comparison and combination of bibliometric networks (actors, texts, citations) and the various ways of hybridization. In the concluding section, typical protocols and further questions are proposed.