Citation Analysis in Research Evaluation

by Moed, Henk F.

• ISBN13: 9781402037139
• ISBN10: 1402037139
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-09-15
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

This book deals with the evaluation of scholarly research performance, and focuses on the contribution of scholarly work to the advancement of scholarly knowledge. Its principal question is: how can citation analysis be used properly as a tool in the assessment of such a contribution? Citation analysis involves the construction and application of a series of indicators of the 'impact', 'influence' or 'quality' of scholarly work, derived from references cited in footnotes or bibliographies of scholarly research publications. It describes primarily the use of data extracted from the Science Citation Index and the Web of Science, published by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)/Thomson Scientific. But many aspects to which this book dedicates attention relate to citation analysis in general, It provides a wide range of important facts, and corrects a number of common misunderstandings about citation analysis. It introduces basic notions and distinctions, and deals both with theoretical and technical aspects, and with its applicability in various policy contexts, at the level of individual scholars, research groups, departments, institutions, national scholarly systems, disciplines or subfields, and scholarly journals. Although the major part of the analysis relates to the basic science - a domain in which citation analysis is used most frequently - this book also addresses its uses and limits in the applied and technical sciences, social sciences and humanities. It reveals the enormous potential of quantitative, bibliometric analyses of the scholarly literature for a deeper understanding of scholarly activity and performance, and highlights their policy relevance. But this book is also critical, underlines the limits of citation analysis in research evaluation, and issues warnings for potential misuse. It proposes criteria for proper use of citation analysis as a research evaluation tool. In order to be used properly as a research evaluation tool, it is essential that all participants have insight into the nature of citation analysis, how its indicators are constructed and calculated, what the various theoretical positions state about what they measure, and what are their potentialities and limitations, particularly in relation to peer review. This book aims at providing such insight.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Executive Summary	1	(8)
Part 1 General Introduction and Main Conclusions	9	(60)
General Introduction	11	(14)
Basic Notions and General Conclusions	25	(10)
Synopsis	35	(34)
Part 2 Empirical and Theoretical Chapters	69	(254)
Part 2.1 Assessing Basic Science Research Departments and Scientific Journals	69	(2)
Citation Analysis of Basic Science Research Departments	71	(20)
Citation Analysis of Scientific Journals	91	(18)
Part 2.2 The ISI Citation Indexes	107	(2)
Basic Principles, Citation Links and Terminology	109	(10)
ISI Coverage by Discipline	119	(18)
Implications for the Use of the ISI Citation Indexes in Research Evaluation	137	(10)
Part 2.3 Assessing Social Sciences and Humanities	145	(2)
Differences between Science, Social Sciences and Humanities	147	(6)
Expanded Citation Analysis: A Case Study in Economics	153	(6)
A Case Study of Research Performance in Law	159	(10)
Part 2.4 Accuracy Aspects	167	(2)
Introductory Notes on Accuracy Issues	169	(4)
Accuracy of Citation Counts	173	(8)
Problems with the Names of Authors and Institutions, and with the Delimitation of Subfields	181	(12)
Part 2.5 Theoretical Aspects	191	(2)
What Do References and Citations Measure?	193	(16)
Towards a Theory of Citation: Some Building Blocks	209	(12)
Implications for the Use of Citation Analysis in Research Evaluation	221	(8)
Part 2.6 Citation Analysis and Peer Review	227	(2)
Peer Review and the Use and Validity of Citation Analysis	229	(10)
Analysis of Peer Assessments of Research Departments	239	(8)
Analysis of a National Research Council	247	(14)
Part 2.7 Macro Studies	259	(2)
Did Global Scientific Publication Productivity Increase during the 1980s and 1990s?	261	(10)
Measuring Trends in National Publication Output	271	(14)
Does International Scientific Collaboration Pay?	285	(6)
Do US Scientists Overcite Papers from their Own Country?	291	(12)
Part 2.8 New Developments	301	(2)
Development of New Indicators	303	(10)
Electronic Publishing, New Databases and Search Engines	313	(6)
Further Research	319	(4)
References	323	(14)
Index of Keywords, Cited Works and Cited Authors	337