preprint version "Caveats for the Use of Citation Indicators in Research and Journal Evaluations"

[Loet Leydesdorff]

 <http://www.leydesdorff.net/cit_indicators/index.htm> Caveats for the Use
of Citation Indicators in Research and Journal Evaluations 

  <http://www.leydesdorff.net/cit_indicators/cit_indicators.pdf>
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/cit_indicators/cit_indicators.pdf> pdf

Ageing of publications, percentage of self-citations, and impact vary from
journal to journal within fields of science. The assumption that citation
and publication practices are homogenous within specialties and fields of
science is invalid. Furthermore, the delineation of fields and among
specialties is fuzzy. Institutional units of analysis and persons may move
between fields or span different specialties. The match between the citation
index and institutional profiles varies among institutional units and
nations. The respective matches may heavily affect the representation of the
units. Non-ISI journals are increasingly cornered into "transdisciplinary"
Mode-2 functions with the exception of specialist journals publishing in
languages other than English. An "externally cited impact factor" can be
calculated for these journals. The citation impact of non-ISI journals will
be demonstrated using Science and Public Policy as the example.

 

  _____  

Loet Leydesdorff 
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681 
 <mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net> loet at leydesdorff.net ;
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/> http://www.leydesdorff.net/ 

 
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