ABS&Comment: Alloro, "Searching ISI databases at the Deutsch es Institut fur Medizinische Dokumentation und Information, Cologne

[Gretchen Whitney]

Author's E-mail: alloro at hp380.ist.unige.it

TITLE:  Searching institute for scientific information databases at the
Deutsches Institut fur Medizinische Dokumentation und Information, Cologne
AUTHOR   Alloro G, Ugolini D
JOURNAL JOURNAL OF INFORMATION SCIENCE
                                                      25: (4) 295-305 1999

 Document type: Article Language: English   Cited References: 23
                                                          Times Cited: 0


Abstract:
The aim of the paper is to illustrate the retrieval methods used to count
the number of citations in the Institute for Scientific Information online
databases (SciSearch and
Social SciSearch) made available by the Deutsches Institut fur Medizinische
Dokunentation und Information host computer.

Citation analysis is a bibliometric measure increasingly applied to evaluate
the publication quality of individual scientists or research groups.
Therefore, it is very important to know, and to use correctly, the search
methods made available to retrieve the number of citations.

Different search methods and their specific features and limits are
discussed, and practical problems in working with the online citation
indices are described, highlighting the pivotal role of information
specialists to make accessible, and to better use, the database data and the
retrieval techniques, thus providing vital information to institutions and
research activity.

KeyWords Plus:
CITATION ANALYSIS, BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS, RESEARCH PERFORMANCE,
CANCER-RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS, PRODUCTIVITY,
SCIENCE, QUALITY, IMPACT, PERIOD

Addresses:
Alloro G, Ist Nazl Ric Canc, Largo R Benzi 10, I-16132 Genoa, Italy.
Ist Nazl Ric Canc, I-16132 Genoa, Italy.
Univ Genoa, Dept Clin & Expt Oncol, I-16126 Genoa, Italy.

Publisher:
BOWKER-SAUR LTD, E GRINSTEAD

IDS Number:
219PA

ISSN:
0165-5515
                                         Copyright © 1999 Institute for
Scientific Information


The authors point out that DIMDI launched in 1995 the all author   command
in the citation index.  Thhis has now been incorporated into the Web of
Science and eliminates one of the most widely criticized aspects of citation
analysis. In the past it was necessary to have an author's complete
bibliography to do a full count.  However, citation analysts should be
careful to remember that only papers included in the source database are
covered by this feature.  Books and other works may still have to be
examined under the first author's name.

The author's caveat follows:

"Despite these limitations, many studies have demonstrated that this method
provides useful information for the evaluation of productivity and that it
may well constitute  a good general guide.  However, other parameters have
to be taken into account and, according to the expected citation rates (ECR)
[23], it is very important that the citation rate of each work is compared
to the citation average for similar works published in the same journal
during the same year.  These considerations highlight that the retrieval
process of citations using information technology tools is to be performed
by specialists who must be well versed in the database contents, software
capabilities, retrieval techniques and problems which may ensue from
technical errors such as misspelling of names, homonyms, ISI databases
polities and practices, cooperative group publications, etc.

At this time, when the process of information retrieval is evolving in the
wake of new information and communication technologies (e.g. the Internet),
and the end user is often able to make use of many of them without
assistance, the information professional must become the point of reference
for new lines of activity and study.  The management and analysis of
scientific productivity represents one of these areas and so the information
specialist, as the key professional figure in this process, becomes not only
an information keeper, but a special expert adviser to administrators and
researchers involved in important decisions."

-------------------------------------------------------------
Eugene Garfield, Ph.D.
Chairman Emeritus, ISI, 3501 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Publisher, THE SCIENTIST, 3600 Market St,
Philadelphia, PA 19104 (www.the-scientist.com)
Tel: 215-243-2205 // Fax: 215-387-1266
email:  garfield at codex.cis.upenn.edu
Home Page: http://165.123.33.33/eugene_garfield

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