Assessing researchers’ performance in developing countries : is Google Scholar an alternative?

This article compares the representation of 10 purposefully selected LIS researchers in South Africa in Google Scholar (GS), Thomson Scientific’s (herein referred to as ISI – Institute for Scientific Information) citation indexes, and Elsevier’s Scopus, in order to determine whether or not Google Scholar is an alternative tool for evaluating research in developing countries, particularly those situated in Sub-Saharan Africa. Three indicators, namely the number of publications, the number of citations and the h-index, were used to measure the similarity or dissimilarity between the three databases/ services in the coverage of South Africa’s LIS documents. The data was also subjected to a Pearson correlation analysis to examine the relationship between GS and ISI, GS and Scopus and ISI and Scopus. Results show that GS covers more publications and citations than ISI and Scopus. There is a stronger correlation between GS and Scopus than there is between GS and ISI. We conclude that GS is an alternative service, but should be cautiously used when evaluating research in developing countries. Areas for further research are also recommended.Information Scienc

Evaluating Research and Impact: A Bibliometric Analysis of Research by the NIH/NIAID HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks

Evaluative bibliometrics uses advanced techniques to assess the impact of scholarly work in the context of other scientific work and usually compares the relative scientific contributions of research groups or institutions. Using publications from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) HIV/AIDS extramural clinical trials networks, we assessed the presence, performance, and impact of papers published in 2006–2008. Through this approach, we sought to expand traditional bibliometric analyses beyond citation counts to include normative comparisons across journals and fields, visualization of co-authorship across the networks, and assess the inclusion of publications in reviews and syntheses. Specifically, we examined the research output of the networks in terms of the a) presence of papers in the scientific journal hierarchy ranked on the basis of journal influence measures, b) performance of publications on traditional bibliometric measures, and c) impact of publications in comparisons with similar publications worldwide, adjusted for journals and fields. We also examined collaboration and interdisciplinarity across the initiative, through network analysis and modeling of co-authorship patterns. Finally, we explored the uptake of network produced publications in research reviews and syntheses. Overall, the results suggest the networks are producing highly recognized work, engaging in extensive interdisciplinary collaborations, and having an impact across several areas of HIV-related science. The strengths and limitations of the approach for evaluation and monitoring research initiatives are discussed

A bibliometric study of human–computer interaction research activity in the Nordic-Baltic Eight countries

Human–computer interaction (HCI) has become an important area for designers and developers worldwide, and research activities set in national cultural contexts addressing local challenges are often needed in industry and academia. This study explored HCI research in the Nordic-Baltic countries using bibliometric methods. The results show that the activity varies greatly across the region with activities dominated by Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, even when adjusting for differences in population size and GDP. Research output variations were larger for the top-tier conferences compared to entry-tier conferences and journals. Locally hosted conferences were associated with local increases in research activity. HCI research longevity appears to be an indicator of research maturity and quantity. HCI researchers typically collaborated either with colleagues within the same institution or with researchers from countries outside the Nordic-Baltic region such as US and the UK. There was less collaboration between national and Nordic-Baltic partners. Collaboration appeared especially prevalent for top-tier conference papers. Top-tier conference papers were also more frequently cited than regional-tier and entry-tier conferences, yet journal articles were cited the most. One implication of this study is that the HCI research activity gaps across the Nordic-Baltic countries should be narrowed by increasing the activity in countries with low research outputs. To achieve this, first-time authors could receive guidance through collaborations with experienced authors in the same institution or other labs around the world. More conferences could also be hosted locally. Furthermore, journals may be more effective than conferences if the goal is to accumulate citations.publishedVersio

Green infrastructure in relation to informal urban settlements

Green infrastructure plays a critical role in environmentally sustainable urbanization in developing countries. Based on a review of academic outputs, this paper explores green infrastructure in the context of informal urban settlements. It identifies three ways informal settlements are connected to green spaces and natural ecosystems functioning as urban green infrastructure and then shows examples of benefits derived (ecosystem services) by the urban poor from these connections. Undesirable aspects and negative outcomes, regarded as ecosystem disservices, from the connection to natural ecosystems are also pointed out. The potentials of enhancing ecosystem services in terms of improving quality of life and the environment in informal settlements came to the fore. This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge on urban green infrastructure from the perspective of informal settlements in developing countries

Indigenous Knowledge Research in Kenya and South Africa: An Informetric Study

This article applies informetrics using descriptive bibliometrics to determine the state Indigenous Knowledge (IK) development in Kenya and South Africa. Data was analysed using the following variables: document type; growth of literature on the subject from 1990-2008; document source(s); document affiliation; subject domain; country of publication; and nature of authorship, among other attributes. International databases (OCLC – Online Computer Library Center, MEDLINE and AGRICOLA) and national databases – South Africa’s Southern African Bibliographic Information Network (SABINET databases, i.e. Current and Completed Research: CCR, Union Catalogue of Theses and Dissertations: UTD, and Index to South African Periodicals: ISAP) and Kenya’s Greenstone Database – were analysed using content analysis. Two keywords – indigenous knowledge and traditional knowledge – were used in all database searches. We found that IK was strongly represented in the SABINET and OCLC databases. The absence of a national (online) database showcasing Kenyan research output made it difficult to account for IK research in the country. Recommendations are provided for a follow up study and further research. The article could prove useful for decision support in IK management.Keywords: Knowledge management; indigenous knowledge; traditional knowledge; informetrics

Insight into Research Publication Output of Academic Librarians in Southern African Public Universities from 2002 to 2011

This article reports on the research and publication patterns of librarians working in university libraries in Southern Africa. Lists of countries and names of public universities in the region were obtained from the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA) website, while names of the librarians were obtained from the 60 university websites and the Europa World of Learning. The study confined its scope to publications produced within the last 10 years (2002-2011). Informetrics through content analysis was used as the primary research method. The documents sourced for content analysis were mostly obtained from the Library and Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database, which is the largest abstract database in library and information science, while impact was measured through citations obtained from Google Scholar. The results revealed that: a minimal number of items have been published over the last ten years; many universities do not place staff lists of librarians on their websites; not all senior university librarians’ (e.g. university librarians/directors/executive directors, etc.) publications appeared in the databases; most academic librarians preferred publishing individually; and the most published type of document was journal articles, predominantly short articles, followed by conference proceedings. Further in-depth analyses and comparisons with a related study conducted in Eastern Africa are provided and discussed to unravel hidden publication patterns and trends that influence research visibility. We suggest the need for debate on tying the promotion of university librarians to scholarly research output and argue why such linkage is necessary. We strongly recommend that full lists of all library staff, their titles, and qualifications (where possible) should be made available on university library websites for the benefit of improved library information services and research