Citation counts for research evaluation: standards of good practice

[Bornmann Lutz]

Authors: Bornmann L, Mutz R, Neuhaus C, Daniel HD

 

Title: Citation counts for research evaluation: standards of good
practice for analyzing bibliometric data and presenting and interpreting
results

 

Journal: Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics

 

Volume: 8

 

Abstract: With the ready accessibility of bibliometric data and the
availability of ready-to-use tools for generating bibliometric
indicators for evaluation purposes, there is the danger of inappropriate
use. Here we present standards of good practice for analyzing
bibliometric data and presenting and interpreting the results.
Comparisons drawn between research groups as to research performance are
valid only if (1) the scientific impact of the research groups or their
publications are looked at by using box plots, Lorenz curves, and Gini
coefficients to represent distribution characteristics of data (in other
words, going beyond the usual arithmetic mean value), (2) different
reference standards are used to assess the impact of research groups,
and the appropriateness of the reference standards undergoes critical
examination, and (3) statistical analyses comparing citation counts take
into consideration that citations are a function of many influencing
factors besides scientific quality.

 

Download: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esep/pp7/

 

 

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Dr. Lutz Bornmann
ETH Zurich, D-GESS
Professorship for Social Psychology and Research on Higher Education
Zaehringerstr. 24 / ZAE
CH-8092 Zurich

Phone: 0041 44 632 48 25
Fax: 0041 44 632 12 83

http://www.psh.ethz.ch/ <http://www.psh.ethz.ch/index_EN>  
bornmann at gess.ethz.ch <mailto:bornmann at gess.ethz.ch> 

 

Download of publications: www.lutz-bornmann.de/Publications.htm
<http://www.lutz-bornmann.de/Publications.htm> 

 

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