Vaughan L. Shaw D. "Web citation data for impact assessment: A comparison of four science disciplines " JASIST 56(10): 1075-1087, Aug. 2005.

[Eugene Garfield]

Author(s): Vaughan, L; Shaw, D

Title: Web citation data for impact assessment: A comparison of four
science disciplines

Source: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY, 56 (10): 1075-1087 AUG 2005

Language: English        Document Type: Article

Abstract: The number and type of Web citations to journal articles in four
areas of science are examined: biology, genetics, medicine, and
multidisciplinary sciences. For a sample of 5,972 articles published in 114
journals, the median Web citation counts per journal article range from 6.2
in medicine to 10.4 in genetics. About 30% of Web citations in each area
indicate intellectual impact (citations from articles or class readings, in
contrast to citations from bibliographic services or the author's or
journal's home page). Journals receiving more Web citations also have
higher percentages of citations indicating intellectual impact. There is
significant correlation between the number of citations reported in the
databases from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI, now Thomson
Scientific) and the number of citations retrieved using the Google search
engine (Web citations). The correlation is much weaker for journals
published outside the United Kingdom or United States and for
multidisciplinary journals. Web citation numbers are higher than ISI
citation counts, suggesting that Web searches might be conducted for an
earlier or a more fine-grained assessment of an article's impact. The Web-
evident impact of non-UK/USA publications might provide a balance to the
geographic or cultural biases observed in ISI's data, although the
stability of Web citation counts is debatable.
Addresses: Univ Western Ontario, Fac Informat & Media Studies, London, ON
N6A 5B7, Canada; Indiana Univ, Sch Lib & Informat Sci, Bloomington, IN
47405 USA
Reprint Address: Vaughan, L, Univ Western Ontario, Fac Informat & Media
Studies, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada.
E-mail Address: lvaughan at uwo.ca; shawd at indiana.edu
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Times Cited: 0
Publisher: JOHN WILEY & SONS INC
Publisher Address: 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN, NJ 07030 USA
ISSN: 1532-2882
ISI Document Delivery No.: 946WK