Nwagwu, WE. 2010. Cybernating the academe: Centralized scholarly ranking and visibility of scholars in the developing world. JOURNAL OF INFORMATION SCIENCE 36 (2): 228-241.

[Eugene Garfield]

Nwagwu, WE. 2010. Cybernating the academe: Centralized scholarly ranking 
and visibility of scholars in the developing world. JOURNAL OF INFORMATION 
SCIENCE 36 (2): 228-241.

Author Full Name(s): Nwagwu, Williams E.

Language: English
Document Type: Article

Author Keywords: citation analysis; citation indexes; cybernetics; scholarly 
publications; scholarly ranking
KeyWords Plus: CITATION ANALYSIS; SCIENCE; PRODUCTIVITY; TOOL; 
PSYCHOLOGY; JOURNALS; IMPACT

Abstract: This article uses a metaphor of social cybernetics to explain the 
neoliberal science politics manifest in the deployment of information technology 
to homogenize, centralize and globalize scholarly performance criteria, a 
development that benefits the developed regions of the world that already 
have a competitive advantage in the use of the technologies. The international 
citation indexes collect, organize and analyse skewed proportions of the world's 
scholarly publications mainly from the North and make generalizations about the 
state and structure of global scientific knowledge, thus exerting undue control 
and discipline on global intellectual discourse. The databases do not accord any 
deference to the global diversity and complexity in human and other resources. 
However, autonomous databases that have regional, national and 
organizational focuses are beginning to emerge, but such an infrastructure is 
not yet available in Africa and many other developing regions. It is envisaged, 
however, that the current African Citation Index Project of the Council for the 
Development of Social Science Research in Africa will contribute in bridging this 
gap.

Addresses: Univ Ibadan, Africa Reg Ctr Informat Sci, Ibadan, Nigeria
Reprint Address: Nwagwu, WE, Univ Ibadan, Africa Reg Ctr Informat Sci, 6 
Benue Rd,Box 22133, Ibadan, Nigeria.
E-mail Address: willieezi at yahoo.com

ISSN: 0165-5515
DOI: 10.1177/0165551509358482
URL: http://jis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/2/228