Using a bibliometric approach to support research policy decisions: The case of the Flemish BOF-key.

In this paper, we describe the development of a methodology and an instrument to support a major research funding allocation decision by the Flemish government. Over the last decade, and in parallel with the decentralization and the devolution of the Belgian federal policy authority towards the various regions and communities in the country, science and technology policy have become a major component of regional policy making. In the Flemish region, there has been an increasing focus on basing the funding allocation decisions that originate from this policy decentralization on 'objective, quantifiable and repeatable' decision parameters. One of the data sources and indicator bases that have received ample attention in this evolution is the use of bibliometric data and indicators. This has now led to the creation of a dedicated research and policy support staff, called 'Steunpunt O&O Statistieken,' and the first time application of bibliometric data and methods to support a major inter-university funding allocation decision. In this paper, we analyze this evolution. We show how bibliometric data have for the first time been used to allocate 93 million Euro of public research money between 6 Flemish universities for the fiscal year 2003, based on Web-of-Science SCI data provided to 'Steunpunt O&O Statistieken' via a license agreement with Thomson-ISI. We also discuss the limitations of the current approach that was based on inter-university publication and citation counts. We provide insights into future adaptations that might make it more representative of the total research activity at the universities involved (e.g. by including data for the humanities) and of its visibility (e.g. by including impact measures). Finally, based on our current experience and interactions with the universities involved, we speculate on the future of the specific bibliometric approach that has now been adopted. More specifically, we hypothesize that the allocation method now developed and under further improvement will become more criticized if it turns out that it (1) also starts influencing intra-university research allocation decisions and, as a consequence (2) introduces adverse publication and citation behaviors at the universities involved.Policy; Decisions; Decision;

Identification and Visualization of the Conceptual Structure and Main Research Themes of Studies in Informatics and Control Journal from 2008 to 2019

Studies in Informatics and Control journal is a quarterly publication for all those involved in the field of Information Technology (IT). Studies in Informatics and Control journal provides important perspectives on topics relevant to IT, with an emphasis on useful applications in the most important areas of IT, and it is aimed at advanced practitioners and researchers in the field of IT. The core subjects covered by Studies in Informatics and Control journal are relating to innovative research and practice in Information Technology: IT use in control and management systems; integration of IT with control; application of IT in socio-economic systems and manufacturing processes, mainly. The current research conducts a bibliometric performance and conceptual structure analysis of Studies in Informatics and Control journal from 2008 to 2019. Firstly, the journal performance is analysed according to the data retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, putting the focus on the productivity of the authors, citations, countries, organizations and most relevant publications. Finally, the conceptual structure of the journal is analysed with bibliometric software tool SciMAT, identifying the main thematic areas that have been the object of research, their composition, relationship and evolution during the period analysed

Exploring Terms and Taxonomies Relating to the Cyber International Relations Research Field: or are "Cyberspace" and "Cyber Space" the same?

This project has at least two facets to it: (1) advancing the algorithms in the sub-field of bibliometrics often referred to as "text mining" whereby hundreds of thousands of documents (such as journal articles) are scanned and relationships amongst words and phrases are established and (2) applying these tools in support of the Explorations in Cyber International Relations (ECIR) research effort. In international relations, it is important that all the parties understand each other. Although dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources tell you what words/phrases are supposed to mean (somewhat complicated by the fact that they often contradict each other), they do not tell you how people are actually using them. As an example, when we started, we assumed that "cyberspace" and "cyber space" were essentially the same word with just a minor variation in punctuation (i.e., the space, or lack thereof, between "cyber" and "space") and that the choice of the punctuation was a rather random occurrence. With that assumption in mind, we would expect that the taxonomies that would be constructed by our algorithms using "cyberspace" and "cyber space" as seed terms would be basically the same. As it turned out, they were quite different, both in overall shape and groupings within the taxonomy. Since the overall field of cyber international relations is so new, understanding the field and how people think about (as evidenced by their actual usage of terminology, and how usage changes over time) is an important goal as part of the overall ECIR project

Altmetrics as an Answer to the Need for Democratization of Research and Its Evaluation

In the evaluation of research, the same unequal structure present in the production of research is reproduced. Despite a few very productive researchers (in terms of papers and citations received), there are also few researchers who are involved in the research evaluation process (in terms of being editorial board members of journals or reviewers). To produce a high number of papers and receive many citations and to be involved in the evaluation of research papers, you need to be in the minority of giants who have high productivity and more scientific success. As editorial board members and reviewers, we often find the same minority of giants. In this paper, we apply an economic approach to interpret recent trends in research evaluation and derive a new interpretation of Altmetrics as a response to the need for democratization of research and its evaluation. In this context, the majority of pygmies can participate in evaluation with Altmetrics, whose use is more democratic, that is, much wider and open to all

30th Anniversary of Applied Intelligence: A combination of bibliometrics and thematic analysis using SciMAT

Applied Intelligence is one of the most important international scientific journals in the field of artificial intelligence. From 1991, Applied Intelligence has been oriented to support research advances in new and innovative intelligent systems, methodologies, and their applications in solving real-life complex problems. In this way, Applied Intelligence hosts more than 2,400 publications and achieves around 31,800 citations. Moreover, Applied Intelligence is recognized by the industrial, academic, and scientific communities as a source of the latest innovative and advanced solutions in intelligent manufacturing, privacy-preserving systems, risk analysis, knowledge-based management, modern techniques to improve healthcare systems, methods to assist government, and solving industrial problems that are too complex to be solved through conventional approaches. Bearing in mind that Applied Intelligence celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2021, it is appropriate to analyze its bibliometric performance, conceptual structure, and thematic evolution. To do that, this paper conducts a bibliometric performance and conceptual structure analysis of Applied Intelligence from 1991 to 2020 using SciMAT. Firstly, the performance of the journal is analyzed according to the data retrieved from Scopus, putting the focus on the productivity of the authors, citations, countries, organizations, funding agencies, and most relevant publications. Finally, the conceptual structure of the journal is analyzed with the bibliometric software tool SciMAT, identifying the main thematic areas that have been the object of research and their composition, relationship, and evolution during the period analyzed

Modelagem de um indicador bibliométrico para análise da dispersão de conhecimentos

Quando os suportes de uma informação encontram-se distribuídos por diferentes partes, diz-se que a informação sofreu dispersão. Se ela se encontra citada na literatura, isso configura impacto bibliográfico. Assim também, a dispersão geográfica das fontes citantes representa a extensão geográfica do impacto daquela informação. Dessa forma, um indicador de dispersão pode constituir ferramenta útil para avaliação desses fenômenos. O presente artigo demonstra a modelagem de um indicador relativo de dispersão (IDS – Índice de Dispersão Segmentar), que considera a ocorrência desta, segundo diferentes níveis de distribuição (macro, meso e/ou microdispersão) referentes a unidades de análise bibliométricas, cienciométricas, informétricas, tecnométricas ou similares. Exemplos que ilustram possibilidades de aplicação do IDS no estudo comparativo de obras, periódicos, autores, métodos, técnicas, assuntos, vocábulos etc. são também apresentados. Palavras-chave Informação. Comunicação científica. Dispersão. Difusão. Indicadores. Bibliometria. Cienciometria. Informetria. Índice de dispersão. Impacto bibliográfico. A bibliometric indicator modelling for analysis of knowledge dispersion Abstract When information channels are distributed by different parts, it means that the information is dispersed. If this information is cited in the literature it means bibliographic impact. Therefore, the geographical dispersion of the sources that cites the information represents an extension of geographical impact. Thus, a dispersion indicator could represent a practical tool for the assessment of these events. The present article shows the modeling of a relative dispersion indicator (Index of Segmental Dispersion – ISD) that considered its occurrence related to different distribution levels (macro, meso and/or microdispersion) in terms of bibliometric, scientometric, informetric, technometric or similar units of analysis. Examples that illustrates possible applications of ISD in comparative studies of literary works, journals, authors, methods, technique, themes or words and so forth are also introduced. Keywords Information. Scientific communication. Dispersion. Diffusion. Indicators. Bibliometrics. Scientometrics. Informetrics. Dispersion index. Bibliographic impact

Presentación

Este número está dedicado a todos los miembros de la comunidad académica cuyo interés genuino y permanente es la realidad social colombiana en el marco latinoamericano y mundial. Está dirigido a aquellos académicos que buscan con sus lecturas, sus escrituras, su labor social, su mirada humanística, tender puentes entre la Universidad y su realidad social, su entorno, esto es las condiciones locales que se imponen en nuestro contexto andino y tropical consolidando una suma de saberes en un diálogo entre el Norte y el Sur. Está dirigido a estudiantes y profesores que en el ejercicio de la práctica pedagógica reflexiva y crítica se erigen en portavoces de la esperanza, del humanismo y la armonía

Presentación

Este número está dedicado a todos los miembros de la comunidad académica cuyo interés genuino y permanente es la realidad social colombiana en el marco latinoamericano y mundial. Está dirigido a aquellos académicos que buscan con sus lecturas, sus escrituras, su labor social, su mirada humanística, tender puentes entre la Universidad y su realidad social, su entorno, esto es las condiciones locales que se imponen en nuestro contexto andino y tropical consolidando una suma de saberes en un diálogo entre el Norte y el Sur. Está dirigido a estudiantes y profesores que en el ejercicio de la práctica pedagógica reflexiva y crítica se erigen en portavoces de la esperanza, del humanismo y la armonía

Social media metrics for new research evaluation

This chapter approaches, both from a theoretical and practical perspective, the most important principles and conceptual frameworks that can be considered in the application of social media metrics for scientific evaluation. We propose conceptually valid uses for social media metrics in research evaluation. The chapter discusses frameworks and uses of these metrics as well as principles and recommendations for the consideration and application of current (and potentially new) metrics in research evaluation.Comment: Forthcoming in Glanzel, W., Moed, H.F., Schmoch U., Thelwall, M. (2018). Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Springe