Timelines of creativity: A study of intellectual innovators in information science

We explore the relationship between creativity and both chronological and professional age in information science using a novel bibliometric approach that allows us to capture the shape of a scholar’s career. Our approach draws on Galenson’s (2006) analyses of artistic creativity, notably his distinction between conceptual and experimental innovation, and also Lehman’s (1953) seminal study of the relationship between stage of career and outstanding performance. The data presented here suggest that creativity is expressed in different ways, at different times and with different intensities in academic information science.