skewed citation distributions should not be averaged

[Loet Leydesdorff]

A Rejoinder on Energy versus Impact Indicators
<http://arxiv.org/abs/1108.5845> 
Scientometrics (in press)


Citation distributions are so skewed that using the mean or any other
central tendency measure is ill-advised. Unlike G. Prathap's scalar measures
(Energy, Exergy, and Entropy or EEE), the Integrated Impact Indicator (I3)
is based on non-parametric statistics using the (100) percentiles of the
distribution. Observed values can be tested against expected ones; impact
can be qualified at the article level and then aggregated. 

 

pdf available at http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1108/1108.5845.pdf 

 

** apologies for cross postings

  _____  

Loet Leydesdorff 

Professor, University of Amsterdam
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam.
Tel. +31-20-525 6598; fax: +31-842239111

 <mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net> loet at leydesdorff.net ;
<http://www.leydesdorff.net/> http://www.leydesdorff.net/ 
Visiting Professor,  <http://www.istic.ac.cn/Eng/brief_en.html> ISTIC,
Beijing; Honorary Fellow,  <http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/> SPRU, University
of Sussex 



 

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