discussion on science metrics

[Ronald Rousseau]

Dear colleagues,

In 2002 Jane M. Russell and I wrote (in: Bibliometrics and  
institutional evaluation):

It should be kept in mind that research evaluation is not an end in  
itself. It is only an aid to the real goal that is providing those  
people and institutions with the talent and motivations to carry out  
scientific research, with the best conditions possible under which to  
do so. Budgetary and other kinds of constraints make evaluations  
necessary for the equitable distribution of resources. The evaluation  
of short-term strategic research as well as the long-term  
curiosity-driven search for new knowledge demands the same  
accountability and rigorous standards as scientific research requires  
of itself. For this reason the challenge is not only for the  
application of bibliometric and scientometric techniques in research  
evaluation to keep up with the rapid changes occurring in scientific  
communications patterns and practices but also to constantly improve  
the theoretical foundation for the construction of output and impact  
indicators as an adjunct for peer review.


Surely, we were neither the first nor the last to express the need for  
(and commitment to) theoretical foundations of research evaluation and  
the basic necessity of peer review. I cannot express this better now.

Best regards,

Ronald


> http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html
>
> The article and discussion mentioned below are certainly interesting  
>  to scientometricians. Maybe some of you want to add their opinions.
>
> *********************************************
> Franz Barjak
> School of Business
> University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland
> Riggenbachstrasse 16
> CH-4600 Olten
> Switzerland
> E-mail: franz.barjak at fhnw.ch
> p. +41 62 287 7825, fax: +41 62 287 7845
> *********************************************
> ________________________________________


-- 
Ronald Rousseau
President of the ISSI
KHBO - Association K.U.Leuven
Industrial Sciences and Technology
Zeedijk 101 -  8400  Oostende,  Belgium
Professor associated to K.U.Leuven
Honorary Professor Henan Normal University (Xinxiang, China)
Adjunct professor of Shanghai University
Guest Professor at the National Library of Sciences CAS (Beijing)
Guest Professor at Dalian University of Technology
Honorary researcher at Zhejiang University, Information Resources Management
Institute
E-mail: ronald.rousseau at khbo.be
web page:  http://users.telenet.be/ronald.rousseau


"Improving the quality of writing improves the quality of thought"  George
Gopen and Judith Swan (1990)


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