4,833 research outputs found
A categorization of arguments for counting methods for publication and citation indicators
Most publication and citation indicators are based on datasets with
multi-authored publications and thus a change in counting method will often
change the value of an indicator. Therefore it is important to know why a
specific counting method has been applied. I have identified arguments for
counting methods in a sample of 32 bibliometric studies published in 2016 and
compared the result with discussions of arguments for counting methods in three
older studies. Based on the underlying logics of the arguments I have arranged
the arguments in four groups. Group 1 focuses on arguments related to what an
indicator measures, Group 2 on the additivity of a counting method, Group 3 on
pragmatic reasons for the choice of counting method, and Group 4 on an
indicator's influence on the research community or how it is perceived by
researchers. This categorization can be used to describe and discuss how
bibliometric studies with publication and citation indicators argue for
counting methods
Validation of counting methods in bibliometrics
The discussion about counting methods in bibliometrics is often reduced to
the choice between full and fractional counting. However, several studies
document that this distinction is too simple. The aim of the present study is
to give an overview of counting methods in the bibliometric literature and to
provide insight into their properties and use. A mix of methods is used. In the
preliminary results, a literature review covering 1970-2018 identified 29
original counting methods. Seventeen were introduced in the period 2010-2018.
Twenty-one of the 29 counting methods are rank-dependent and fractionalized
meaning that the authors of a publications share 1 credit but do not receive
equal shares, for example harmonic counting. The internal and external
validation of the counting methods are assessed. Three criteria for
well-constructed bibliometric indicators - adequacy, sensitivity, and
homogeneity - are used to assess the internal validity. Regarding the external
validation of the counting methods, it is investigated whether the intentions
in the studies that introduced the 29 counting methods comply with the
subsequent use of the counting methods. This study has the potential to give a
solid foundation for the use of and discussion about counting methods.Comment: Preprint: Author's manuscript submitted to the conference STI2020.
Due to the Corona virus, STI2020 was postponed until September 2021. All
submissions were returned to the authors before peer revie
On Fractional Approach to Analysis of Linked Networks
In this paper, we present the outer product decomposition of a product of
compatible linked networks. It provides a foundation for the fractional
approach in network analysis. We discuss the standard and Newman's
normalization of networks. We propose some alternatives for fractional
bibliographic coupling measures
Applied Evaluative Informetrics: Part 1
This manuscript is a preprint version of Part 1 (General Introduction and
Synopsis) of the book Applied Evaluative Informetrics, to be published by
Springer in the summer of 2017. This book presents an introduction to the field
of applied evaluative informetrics, and is written for interested scholars and
students from all domains of science and scholarship. It sketches the field's
history, recent achievements, and its potential and limits. It explains the
notion of multi-dimensional research performance, and discusses the pros and
cons of 28 citation-, patent-, reputation- and altmetrics-based indicators. In
addition, it presents quantitative research assessment as an evaluation
science, and focuses on the role of extra-informetric factors in the
development of indicators, and on the policy context of their application. It
also discusses the way forward, both for users and for developers of
informetric tools.Comment: The posted version is a preprint (author copy) of Part 1 (General
Introduction and Synopsis) of a book entitled Applied Evaluative
Bibliometrics, to be published by Springer in the summer of 201
An empirical review of the different variants of the Probabilistic Affinity Index as applied to scientific collaboration
Responsible indicators are crucial for research assessment and monitoring.
Transparency and accuracy of indicators are required to make research
assessment fair and ensure reproducibility. However, sometimes it is difficult
to conduct or replicate studies based on indicators due to the lack of
transparency in conceptualization and operationalization. In this paper, we
review the different variants of the Probabilistic Affinity Index (PAI),
considering both the conceptual and empirical underpinnings. We begin with a
review of the historical development of the indicator and the different
alternatives proposed. To demonstrate the utility of the indicator, we
demonstrate the application of PAI to identifying preferred partners in
scientific collaboration. A streamlined procedure is provided, to demonstrate
the variations and appropriate calculations. We then compare the results of
implementation for five specific countries involved in international scientific
collaboration. Despite the different proposals on its calculation, we do not
observe large differences between the PAI variants, particularly with respect
to country size. As with any indicator, the selection of a particular variant
is dependent on the research question. To facilitate appropriate use, we
provide recommendations for the use of the indicator given specific contexts.Comment: 35 pages, 3 figures, 5 table
Publication counting methods for a national research evaluation exercise
This work was supported by the DIALOG Program (Grant name “Research into Excellence Patterns in Science and Art”) financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in Poland.In this paper, we investigate the effects of using four methods of publication counting (complete, whole, fractional, square root fractional) and limiting the number of publications (at researcher and institution levels) on the results of a national research evaluation exercise across fields using Polish data. We use bibliographic information on 0.58 million publications from the 2013–2016 period. Our analysis reveals that the largest effects are in those fields within which a variety publication and cooperation patterns can be observed (e.g. in Physical sciences or History and archeology). We argue that selecting the publication counting method for national evaluation purposes needs to take into account the current situation in the given country in terms of the excellence of research outcomes, level of internal, external and international collaboration, and publication patterns in the various fields of sciences. Our findings show that the social sciences and humanities are not significantly influenced by the different publication counting methods and limiting the number of publications included in the evaluation, as publication patterns in these fields are quite different from those observed in the so-called hard sciences. When discussing the goals of any national research evaluation system, we should be aware that the ways of achieving these goals are closely related to the publication counting method, which can serve as incentives for certain publication practices
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