Butler L. "Explaining Australia's increased share of ISI publications " Research Policy 32(1):143-155, January 2003.

[Eugene Garfield]

Linda Butler : linda.butler at anu.edu.au


TITLE   Explaining Australia's increased share of ISI publications
        - the effects of a funding formula based on publication counts
AUTHOR  Butler L
JOURNAL RESEARCH POLICY  32 (1): 143-155 JAN 2003

 Document type: Article   Language: English
 Cited References: 21     Times Cited: 0


Abstract:
Australia's share of publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI) has
increased by 25% in the last decade. The worrying aspect associated with
this trend is the significant decline in citation impact Australia is
achieving relative to other countries. It has dropped from sixth position in
a ranking of 11 OECD countries in 1988, to 10th position by 1993, and the
distance from ninth place continues to widen.

The increased publication activity came at a time when publication output
was expected to decline due to pressures facing the higher education sector,
which accounts for over two-thirds of Australian publications. This paper
examines possible methodological and contextual explanations of the trends
in Australia's presence in the SCI, and undertakes a detailed comparison of
two universities that introduced diverse research management strategies in
the late 1980s. The conclusion reached is that the driving force behind the
Australian trends appears to lie with the increased culture of evaluation
faced by the sector. Significant funds are distributed to universities, and
within universities, on the basis of aggregate publication counts, with
little attention paid to the impact or quality of that output. In
onsequence, journal publication productivity has increased significantly in
the last decade, but its impact has declined. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.
All rights reserved.

Author Keywords:
research funding, bibliometrics, effects of evaluation, university research,
productivity

Addresses:
Butler L, Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Social Sci, Res Evaluat & Policy
Project, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Social Sci, Res Evaluat & Policy Project,
Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia

Publisher:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, AMSTERDAM

IDS Number:
634PY

ISSN:
0048-7333



 Cited Author            Cited Work                Volume      Page  Year

 *ABS                  12970 ABS                                       1998
 *AUSTR SEN EMPL WO    U CRISIS                                        2001
 *CTEC                 SEL HIGH ED STAT                                1986
 *CTEC                 SEL U STAT                                      1979
 *DEET                 STAFF SEL HIGH ED ST                            1988
 *ISI                  SCI WATCH                      4                1993
 ANDERSON D            51 NAT BOARD EMPL ED                            1996
 BOURKE P              PERFORMANCE INDICATO           1                1993
 BOURKE P              QUALITY MEASURES U                              1985
 BUTLER L              MONITORING AUSTR SCI                            2001
 CONSIDINE M           COMP PERFORMANCE AUS                            2001
 FOX MF                SOC STUD SCI                  13       285      1983
 GALLAGHER M           DETYA OCC PAP SER 20                            2000
 GEUNA A               SPRU ELECT WORKING P          71                2001
 GRIGG L               IMPACT AUSTR SCI                                1996
 HICKS D               SCI PUBL POLICY               23        39      1996
 LINKE R               PERFORMANCE INDICATO                            1991
 MARTINBIOSCA Y        J BIOCHEM BIOPH METH          29         1      1994
 MOED H                MEASUREMENT RES PERF                            1983
 RAMSDEN P             2 DEP EMPL ED TRAIN                             1992
 VANRAAN AFJ           SCI PUBL POLICY               24       290      1997