Temporal dynamics of research field integration on slow-cited papers and the awakeners

Understanding the long-term impact of scientific findings requires understanding the dynamic process of new research fields' formation. In new research fields, slow-cited papers (SCP) and the awakeners (AW) are more likely to exist, indicating explorers revisited underrated but significant past papers relocating the findings in the new paradigm. This study acquired SCP-AW pairs located in the integrated point of two different research fields using the inheritance of clusters. We found that research field integration, including SCP-AW pairs, was diverse but followed a similar pattern throughout history, generating an equal mix of SCP and AW fields. The recent trend toward more AW-centric disciplinary combinations supports the belief that field integration will become increasingly technology-driven in the coming years.