博士论文后记 

Encouragement and inspiration from friends have been very important to achieve my academic goals. Though I registered in Antwerp University to pursue my doctoral degree, I studied most of the time on my own in my spare time after work in Tongji University Library. Conflicts among work, academic pursuit and family were so fierce that, at times, I became hopeless and felt like someone wandering in a marsh land, in vain struggling to move on. I really felt lucky that so many friends lend me a hand here and there on the road to make my dream come true. I would like to express my profound thanks to all of them.

First, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Rousseau. He led me to explore the hidden regularities in the unknown world of informetrics. By his scientific and linguistic support I acquired the skills to verify, prove and communicate scientific ideas. Moreover, he trained me in every aspect of scientific research: not only formulating scientific ideas and performing investigations, but also presenting work at conferences and informing about scientific competitions. With great patience and tolerance, he broadened my horizon and opened my mind. Thanks are also extended to the other members of my doctoral committee: professors Pierre Delsaerdt, Sven De Maeyer and Tim Engels, for their guidance along the way towards a doctoral degree.

I further thank professors Wolfgang Glänzel and Loet Leydesdorff for their valuable comments and helpful suggestions. Their critical remarks made me reflect deeper about my research goals. Thanks also given to Prof. Liang Liming and Prof. Wu Yishan, whom I consider my Chinese advisors.

During my scientific training I had the opportunity to collaborate with Raf Guns, Dilruba Mahbuba and Ismael Rafols, among others.  I thank them for sharing their thoughts and expertise with me. I also would like to thank Song Yongli from the mathematical department of Tongji University, and Shen Xinyao, Zhang Sanjiu, Li Shude, Nie Yumei and other colleagues from Tongji university library for the truth they talked about me in times of crises.

Many friends from the blogsphere http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog.html are thanked for their support, among them I mention Cao Cong, Ren Shengli, Liu Li, Zhao Xing, Li Ning, Zhang Tianyi, Gai Xinlei, Wang Haihui, Zhou Chunlei, Chen Guowen, Liang Jin, Wang Fang and many others who have given comments and recommended my blog articles.

The organizers of the international STIMULATE program, in particular Prof. Paul Nieuwenhuysen, and the institutes and organizations involved in this program (VLIR, VUB, Leuven University and Antwerp University) are thanked for giving me the opportunity to study abroad. Other institutes which I visited such as Fudan University, Shanghai University, National Science Library CAS, Zhejiang University and Wuhan University are thanked for giving me a place to continue my studies. In particular I thank professors Guan Jiancheng, Shan Shi, Ye Ying, Qiu Junping, Yang Liying and her colleagues Zhou Qiuju and Yue Ting for their hospitality.

I very much thank my son for the Hard Work Nobel Prize he awarded me and also for the meals he made for me when I was too busy working on my thesis. I thank my husband for the trust he has in me.

Special thanks are also given to the clusters of fragrant white flowers that, from the garden of neighbors, hung over into my parents’ garden and which attracted me, as a child, to go further to a place that I didn’t know and could not reach immediately. Through his pictures the famous photographer Li Xuekuan from my hometown evoked the road I walked, and the roads I further intend to walk to a bright and happy future. For this reason I include a photograph made by him special for my doctoral degree.