Assessing scientific research performance and impact with single indices

We provide a comprehensive and critical review of the h-index and its most important modifications proposed in the literature, as well as of other similar indicators measuring research output and impact. Extensions of some of these indices are presented and illustrated.Citation metrics, Research output, h-index, Hirsch index, h-type indices

A Review of Theory and Practice in Scientometrics

Scientometrics is the study of the quantitative aspects of the process of science as a communication system. It is centrally, but not only, concerned with the analysis of citations in the academic literature. In recent years it has come to play a major role in the measurement and evaluation of research performance. In this review we consider: the historical development of scientometrics, sources of citation data, citation metrics and the “laws" of scientometrics, normalisation, journal impact factors and other journal metrics, visualising and mapping science, evaluation and policy, and future developments

Journal Productivity in Fishery Science an informetric analysis

Knowledge is a human resource which has the ability to consolidate the valuable results of human thinking and civilization through different times. It is the totality of understanding of nature and its features for improved quality of life of human society. Because of this, knowledge has been increasing in volume, dimension and directions. The term ‘information’ and 'knowledge' are often used as if they are interchangeable. Information is ‘potential knowledge‘ which is converted into knowledge by the integration of memory of human beings. In modern times there is a confusion on knowledge usage. Therefore an understanding of the concept ‘knowledge’ is needed for formulation of strategies in information science

Citation models and research evaluation

Citations in science are being studied from several perspectives. On the one hand, there are approaches such as scientometrics and the science of science, which take a more quantitative perspective. In this chapter I briefly review some of the literature on citations, citation distributions and models of citations. These citations feature prominently in another part of the literature which is dealing with research evaluation and the role of metrics and indicators in that process. Here I briefly review part of the discussion in research evaluation. This also touches on the subject of how citations relate to peer review. Finally, I try to integrate the two literatures with the aim of clarifying what I believe the two can learn from each other. The fundamental problem in research evaluation is that research quality is unobservable. This has consequences for conclusions that we can draw from quantitative studies of citations and citation models. The term "indicators" is a relevant concept in this context, which I try to clarify. Causality is important for properly understanding indicators, especially when indicators are used in practice: when we act on indicators, we enter causal territory. Even when an indicator might have been valid, through its very use, the consequences of its use may invalidate it. By combining citation models with proper causal reasoning and acknowledging the fundamental problem about unobservable research quality, we may hope to make progress.Comment: This is a draft. The final version will be available in Handbook of Computational Social Science edited by Taha Yasseri, forthcoming 2023, Edward Elgar Publishing Lt

Comparison of selected mathematical functions for the analysis of growth behavior of items and physical interpretation of Avrami-Weibull function

Abstract Empirical data of sigmoidal-shaped y(t) growth behavior of different types of items, such as papers and citations earned by individual and all successively published papers of selected top-cited authors, germination of tomato seeds and three different bacteria, are analyzed and compared by Avrami-Weibull, Verhulst (logistic) and Gompertz functions. It was found that: (1) Avrami-Weibull function describes different types of the data better than Gompertz and Verhulst funtions, and (2), in comparison with Verhulst and Gompertz functions, Avrami-Weibull function, expressed in the form: y(t)/ymax = 1-exp[(t/Θ)q] (where ymax is the maximum value of y(t) when t→∞, and Θ and q are constants), is equally very versatile in explaining the generation rate dy(t)/dt of items in terms of its parameters Θ and q. Using the basic concepts involved in the derivation of Avrami-Weibull function for overall crystallization from melt and supersaturated solution, the growth behavior of cumulative number y(t) of items produced at time t by individual (simple) sources and collectives or groups of simple sources (i.e. complex or composite sources) is presented. Comparison of the process of receiving of citations by papers with the processes of occurrence of chemical reactions and crystallization of solid phases from melts and supersaturated solutions shows that this process is similar to that of overall crystallization of solid phases from melts and solutions. Analysis of growth of citations using Avrami-Weibull function to individual papers published by different authors shows that 1 < q < 4 for most cases. This suggests that the process of citations to individual articles is mainly determined by progressive nucleation mode involving both diffusion and integration of published knowledge. &nbsp

Examining Scholarly Influence: A Study in Hirsch Metrics and Social Network Analysis

This dissertation research is focused on how we, as researchers, ‘influence’ others researchers. In particular, I am concerned with the notion of what constitutes the ‘influence’ of a scholar and how ‘influence’ is conferred upon scholars. This research is concerned with the construct called ‘scholarly influence’. Scholarly influence is of interest because a clear “theory of scholarly influence” does not yet exist. Rather a number of surrogate measures or concepts that are variable are used to evaluate the value of one’s academic work. ‘Scholarly influence’ is broken down into ‘ideational influence’ or the influence that one has through publication and the uptake of the ideas presented in the publication, and ‘social influence’ or the influence that one has through working with other researchers. Finally through the use of the definition of ‘scholarly influence’ this dissertation tries to commence a definition of ‘quality’ in scholarly work

Can informetrics shape biomedical research? A case study of the HIV/AIDS research in sub-Saharan Africa1

Biomedical research is burgeoning as new dangerous diseases and healing methods emerge. Informetrics defined as methods or a research field that uses mathematical and statistical techniques and/or models to examine patterns that show up not only in publications but also in many aspects of life, as long as the patterns deal with information, are widely applied in the evaluation of research performance, among others. Informetrics measures can be divided into descriptive and evaluative measures, commonly referred to as production (publications) count and citation analysis respectively. Whereas the former has continued to gain popularity in sub-Saharan Africa, especially with regard to the assessment of research output of researchers, the latter is rarely applied. The paper focuses on the research evaluation, methods of research evaluation, and the pros and cons of using informetrics techniques to evaluate research performance. Further, the paper addresses the application of informetrics to examine whether or not informetrics can be used to shape biomedical research, with special reference to HIV/AIDS research in sub-Saharan Africa. In that regard, the paper reports on an informetrics perspective of the relatedness of opportunistic diseases and other factors (i.e. risk factors, pre-disposing factors, other sexually transmitted diseases, and the other tropical diseases) to:• Demonstrate the use of informetrics techniques in assessing the relatedness of a disease to the pathogens that are  associated with it.• Reveal that informetrics can be used to support and/or inform medical opinions regarding the relationship/influence of certainfactors/diseases with/on a given disease, e.g. HIV/AIDS.This paper concludes that the application of informetrics, using various techniques or methodologies associated with it, to shape research in different fields/disciplines, is feasible.Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Informetrics, Bibliometrics, Research evaluatio

Revisiting De Solla Price: growth dynamics studies of various subjects over last one hundred years

17-35The stalwart historian of science, Derek J. De Solla Price delivered a series of lectures at Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1962, which was dedicated to discussing science and its interaction with society. The collection of these lectures was published in 1963 as a book entitled Little Science, Big Science. Here, Price empirically established that the initial exponential growth pattern of literature reaches a ceiling after a certain time span, which results a logistic growth pattern. This paper analyses Price's empirical theory on the basis of 198 articles that presented growth of literature of variant subjects published since 1913 to 2018. In all, 214 growth models were reported by the 198 articles that analysed growth of literature of more than 50 subjects. It is found that growth patterns reported by nearly 50% articles followed Price's empirical theory, i.e., exponential and logistic growth pattern while remaining 50% articles followed other growth patterns, viz., power model, linear model, etc. All growth models reported by the 198 articles were broadly categorised into five groups on the basis of statistical characteristics, viz., (exponential + logistic), growing without definite pattern (GWDP), linear, non-linear and decaying models. The null hypothesis formulated states that 214 growth models observed by different subjects described in 198 articles will follow either of the five patterns that will be guided by Bradford's Law of Bibliographic Scattering. The null hypothesis is accepted by Chi-square test. It is inferred that the distribution of different models of growth of literature is guided by Bradford's Law where the core or nucleus zone is occupied by the logistic and exponential model, i.e. Price's empirical model prevails in Bradford's nuclear (core) zone