[Sigvis-l] Wouters P, "The Citation Culture" - full text available in pdf

[Richard Hill]

[Posted on behalf of Dr=2E Eugene Garfield=2E  Dick Hill]

In January 2000  I sent the listserv a notice about the publication of Pau=
l Wouters' doctoral thesis "The Citation Culture" along with an introducti=
on by me and a brief abstract of the book (reproduced below)=2E

The  author has kindly provided a  full-text electronic version in pdf
format which is available at :
http://garfield=2Elibrary=2Eupenn=2Eedu/wouters/wouters=2Epdf

Paul Wouters can be reached at: paul=2Ewouters@niwi=2Eknaw=2Enl

Best wishes,
Eugene Garfield

______________________________________________________

Date:         Tue, 18 Jan 2000 17:56:46 -0500
Reply-To:     ASIS Special Interest Group on Metrics
              <SIGMETRICS@LISTSERV=2EUTK=2EEDU>
Sender:       ASIS Special Interest Group on Metrics
              <SIGMETRICS@LISTSERV=2EUTK=2EEDU>
From:         Gretchen Whitney <gwhitney@UTKUX=2EUTCC=2EUTK=2EEDU> </cgi-b=
in/wa?
A2=3Dind0001&L=3Dsigmetrics&D=3D0&I=3D-3&P=3D2488>
Subject:      ABS: Wouters, The Citation Culture
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=3DUS-ASCII

 "The Citation Culture" by Paul Wouters of the The
 Royal Netherlands Academy
 of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam=2E

 The follwing brief introduction was prepared by Eugene Garfield=2E

In 1999 Paul Wouters published his doctoral dissertation which was
distributed to many of his colleagues=2E This is undoubtedly one of the mo=
st significant works to be produced in this field since its advent over fo=
rty years ago=2E The work will be published by Stanford University Press i=
n approximately one year=2E In the meantime Paul has kindly prepared a bri=
ef summary and the contents page=2E It does not include a list of his many=
 tables and illustrations=2E I do not agree with many of Paul's conclusion=
s but his scholarship is remarkable=2E He spent many weeks at ISI going th=
rough correspondence=2E He has published many articles not the least of wh=
ich was his contribution to the symposium on the "History of Science Infor=
mation Systems" which was held in Pittsburgh in November 1998 and publishe=
d jointly by ASIS and The Chemical Heritage Foundation of Philadelphia=2E =
Eugene Garfield

Paul Wouters, "The Citation Culture", Stanford University Press forthcomin=
g--late 2000 or 2001)





Abstract

The need for greater accountability of scientific researchers has
created a number of new professions=2E The scientometrician is one of thes=
e experts=2E They measure science scientifically, often on behalf of scien=
ce policy officials=2E The professional scientometrician emerged in the si=
xties=2E Their creation is intimately linked to the invention of the Scien=
ce Citation Index (SCI) by  Eugene Garfield and his collaborators in Phila=
delphia (USA)=2E

  The Citation Culture argues that the development of scientometrics can b=
est be understood if we analyze this field as both indicator and
embodiment of a recently emerged subculture in science: The Citation
Culture=2E This subculture has unwittingly and subtly changed core concept=
s of modern science such as scientific quality and influence=2E Because of=
 the citation culture, being cited has profoundly changed its meaning over=
 the last two decades, with a number of consequences for scientists=2E It =
has moreover contributed to the transformation of the very essence of scie=
nce policy, notwithstanding scientometrics's apparent lack of outstanding =
successes=2E This study tries to explore the possible meaning of the citat=
ion culture for the systematic generation of knowledge=2E

  Today, a scientific publication is easily recognized by its references t=
o other scientific articles or books=2E Citing behavior seems to vary acco=
rding to personal traits=2E Nevertheless, the overall citing properties of=
 the publications within a certain field share the same characteristics=2E=
 The sciences and humanities host many types of specialty-specific citing =
culture, each slightly different from the other=2E The historical developm=
ent of scientific publishing since the nineteenth century has provided for=
 a fairly stable ensemble of citing cultures in science=2E

  The gradual development of regular citing behavior in scientific
publishing created a new resource for research as well as policy: citation=
 data=2E It did not take long before these data began to be used=2E With h=
indsight, it seems an almost inevitable outcome of some straightforward re=
asoning=2E If researchers cite the work they find useful, often cited  (``=
highly cited'') work is apparently more useful to scientists than work whi=
ch receives hardly any citations at all=2E Hence, the number of times an a=
rticle is cited, seems to be an accurate measure of its impact, influence =
or quality=2E The same is true of the collected articles of one particular=
 scientist, research group, journal or even institution=2E The more they a=
re cited, the greater their influence=2E Sloppy work will not often be cit=
ed,except in heated controversies --- or so the reasoning goes=2E Therefor=
e, citation frequency seems a good way of objectively measuring scientific=

usefulness, quality, or impact=2E


 Whatever one's view on the import of being cited, citation frequency is g=
enerally supposed to measure something that already exists=2E This is base=
d on an implicit realist perspective with respect to the process of
scientific communication: the indicator is seen as a more or less direct u=
pshot of scientists' activities=2E Therefore, citation analysis --- the ar=
t of measuring numbers of citations --- provides a window onto the communi=
cation processes between scientists=2E

 This book questions these realist interpretations measuring science by
citations=2E The citation culture is not a simple aggregate or derivative =
of citing culture in science=2E The citation as used in scientometric anal=
ysis and science and technology indicators is not identical to the referen=
ce produced at the scientist's desk=2E In other words, the citation is the=
 product of the citation indexer, not of the scientist=2E The Science Cita=
tion Index is moreover not merely a bibliographic instrument=2E It also cr=
eates a new picture of science via bibliographic references found in scien=
tific literature=2E In this way, the SCI provides a fundamentally new repr=
esentation of science=2E By focussing on the seemingly most insignificant =
entity in scientific communication, the inventors of the SCI have created =
a completely novel set of signs and of a new symbolic universe=2E The Cita=
tion Culture therefore not only tells how the SCI was created, but also tr=
ies to explore its ramifications=2E It discusses the main properties of th=
e new representation of science as well as its impact on science studies, =
science policy, and on science itself=2E Last but not least the book discu=
sses the implications of this perspective for the theoretical foundations =
of scientometric analyses in general and the search for a citation theory =
in particular=2E


 Paul Wouters
 NIWI
 The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
 PO Box 95110
 1090 HC Amsterdam
 The Netherlands
 T 3120 4628654
 F 3120 6658013
 WWW www=2Eniwi=2Eknaw=2Enl

 Contents Page of THe Citation Culture

 {1}Introduction}{1}
 {1=2E1}Introduction}{1}
 {1=2E2}Citing cultures}{2}
 {1=2E3}Unintended consequences of being cited}{3}
 {1=2E4}An objective representation of science}{5}
 {1=2E4=2E1}Representation}{5}
 {1=2E4=2E2}The {SCI}}{5}
 {1=2E5}The quest for a citation theory}{8}
 {1=2E6}The reference and the citation}{10}
 {1=2E7}The citation representation of science}{12}
 {1=2E8}Representing scientometrics}{14}

 {2}The creation of the Science Citation Index}{17}
 {2=2E1}Mixed reception}{17}
 {2=2E2}Enthusiasm for citation}{22}
 {2=2E3}The citation introduced to science}{30}

 {3}The building of the Science Citation Index}{59}
 {3=2E1}Building the index}{59}
 {3=2E2}Translating the citation concept}{73}

 {4}The science of science}{79}
 {4=2E1}Welcoming the \emph {SCI}}{79}
 {4=2E2}Roots}{82}
 {4=2E3}The science of science in Russia, the Ukraine,
     and the Soviet Union}{84}
 {4=2E4}Western science of science}{93}
 {4=2E5}``Please reply with more data''}{96}
 {4=2E6}The citation sociologically used}{97}
 {4=2E7}The citation sociologically explained}{103}

 {5}The signs of science}{107}
 {5=2E1}Introduction}{107}
 {5=2E2}Basic properties of the citation}{108}
 {5=2E3}Producing citations}{110}
 {5=2E4}Building upon the citation}{115}
 {5=2E5}Other signs of science: co-word analysis}{126}
 {5=2E6}A maze of indicators}{128}

 {6}Rating science}{131}
 {6=2E1}Introduction}{131}
 {6=2E2}Early Dutch science policy}{135}
 {6=2E3}Scientometrics within a funding body}{137}
 {6=2E4}Emerging Dutch science studies}{139}
 {6=2E5}Science studies for policy}{141}
 {6=2E6}Indicators for policy}{143}

 {7}Scientometrics}{167}
 {7=2E1}Introduction}{167}
 {7=2E2}Collection and organization of the data}{168}
 {7=2E3}General features}{169}
 {7=2E4}Has Price's dream come true?}{172}
 {7=2E4=2E1}Method}{172}
 {7=2E4=2E2}Results}{174}
 {7=2E5}Who's Who in scientometrics?}{177}
 {7=2E6}Does scientometrics have its own
      identity?}{177}
 {7=2E7}What is scientometrics' position?}{191}
 {7=2E8}Has scientometrics developed a specific
      language?}{192}

 {8}Representing science}{195}
 {8=2E1}Introduction}{195}
 {8=2E2}Summary of the results so far}{195}
 {8=2E3}A hybrid specialty}{198}
 {8=2E4}Indicators as translators}{198}
 {8=2E5}Paradigmatic versus formalized
      representations}{206}
 {8=2E6}Indicator theories}{210}
 {8=2E7}The rise of the formalized}{212}

Executive Director
American Society for Information Science and Technology
1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 510
Silver Spring, MD  20910
FAX: (301) 495-0810
(301) 495-0900