Showing papers on "Scientometrics published in 2012"

Mapping world scientific collaboration: Authors, institutions, and countries

Abstract: International collaboration is being heralded as the hallmark of contemporary scientific production. Yet little quantitative evidence has portrayed the landscape and trends of such collaboration. To this end, 14,000,000 documents indexed in Thomson Reuters's Web of Science (WoS) were studied to provide a state-of-the-art description of scientific collaborations across the world. The results indicate that the number of authors in the largest research teams have not significantly grown during the past decade; however, the number of smaller research teams has seen significant increases in growth. In terms of composition, the largest teams have become more diverse than the latter teams and tend more toward interinstitutional and international collaboration. Investigating the size of teams showed large variation between fields. Mapping scientific cooperation at the country level reveals that Western countries situated at the core of the map are extensively cooperating with each other. High-impact institutions are significantly more collaborative than others. This work should inform policy makers, administrators, and those interested in the progression of scientific collaboration. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Altmetrics Collection

Abstract: What paper should I read next? Who should I talk to at a conference? Which research group should get this grant? Researchers and funders alike must make daily judgments on how to best spend their limited time and money–judgments that are becoming increasingly difficult as the volume of scholarly communication increases. Not only does the number of scholarly papers continue to grow, it is joined by new forms of communication from data publications to microblog posts. To deal with incoming information, scholars have always relied upon filters. At first these filters were manually compiled compendia and corpora of the literature. But by the mid-20th century, filters built on manual indexing began to break under the weight of booming postwar science production. Garfield [1] and others pioneered a solution: automated filters that leveraged scientists own impact judgments, aggregating citations as “pellets of peer recognition.” [2]. These citation-based filters have dramatically grown in importance and have become the tenet of how research impact is measured. But, like manual indexing 60 years ago, they may today be failing to keep up with the literature’s growing volume, velocity, and diversity [3]. Citations are heavily gamed [4]–[6] and are painfully slow to accumulate [7], and overlook increasingly important societal and clinical impacts [8]. Most importantly, they overlook new scholarly forms like datasets, software, and research blogs that fall outside of the scope of citable research objects. In sum, citations only reflect formal acknowledgment and thus they provide only a partial picture of the science system [9]. Scholars may discuss, annotate, recommend, refute, comment, read, and teach a new finding before it ever appears in the formal citation registry. We need new mechanisms to create a subtler, higher-resolution picture of the science system. The Quest for Better Filters The scientometrics community has not been blind to the limitations of citation measures, and has collectively proposed methods to gather evidence of broader impacts and provide more detail about the science system: tracking acknowledgements [10], patents [11], mentorships [12], news articles [8], usage in syllabuses [13], and many others, separately and in various combinations [14]. The emergence of the Web, a “nutrient-rich space for scholars” [15], has held particular promise for new filters and lenses on scholarly output. Webometrics researchers have uncovered evidence of informal impact by examining networks of hyperlinks and mentions on the broader Web [16]–[18]. An important strand of webometrics has also examined the properties of article download data [7], [19], [20]. The last several years, however, have presented a promising new approach to gathering fine-grained impact data: tracking large-scale activity around scholarly products in online tools and environments. These tools and environments include, among others: social media like Twitter and Facebook online reference managers like CiteULike, Zotero, and Mendeley collaborative encyclopedias like Wikipedia blogs, both scholarly and general-audience scholarly social networks, like ResearchGate or Academia.edu conference organization sites like Lanyrd.com Growing numbers of scholars are using these and similar tools to mediate their interaction with the literature. In doing so, they are leaving valuable tracks behind them–tracks with potential to show informal paths of influence with unprecedented speed and resolution. Many of these tools offer open APIs, supporting large-scale, automated mining of online activities and conversations around research objects [21]. Altmetrics [22], [23] is the study and use of scholarly impact measures based on activity in online tools and environments. The term has also been used to describe the metrics themselves–one could propose in plural a “set of new altmetrics.” Altmetrics is in most cases a subset of both scientometrics and webometrics; it is a subset of the latter in that it focuses more narrowly on scholarly influence as measured in online tools and environments, rather than on the Web more generally. Altmetrics may support finer-grained maps of science, broader and more equitable evaluations, and improvements to the peer-review system [24]. On the other hand, the use and development of altmetrics should be pursued with appropriate scientific caution. Altmetrics may face attempts at manipulation similar to what Google must deal with in web search ranking. Addressing such manipulation may, in-turn, impact the transparency of altmetrics. New and complex measures may distort our picture of the science system if not rigorously assessed and correctly understood. Finally, altmetrics may promote an evaluation system for scholarship that many argue has become overly focused on metrics.

Research Blogging: Indexing and Registering the Change in Science 2.0

Abstract: Increasing public interest in science information in a digital and 2.0 science era promotes a dramatically, rapid and deep change in science itself. The emergence and expansion of new technologies and internet-based tools is leading to new means to improve scientific methodology and communication, assessment, promotion and certification. It allows methods of acquisition, manipulation and storage, generating vast quantities of data that can further facilitate the research process. It also improves access to scientific results through information sharing and discussion. Content previously restricted only to specialists is now available to a wider audience. This context requires new management systems to make scientific knowledge more accessible and useable, including new measures to evaluate the reach of scientific information. The new science and research quality measures are strongly related to the new online technologies and services based in social media. Tools such as blogs, social bookmarks and online reference managers, Twitter and others offer alternative, transparent and more comprehensive information about the active interest, usage and reach of scientific publications. Another of these new filters is the Research Blogging platform, which was created in 2007 and now has over 1,230 active blogs, with over 26,960 entries posted about peer-reviewed research on subjects ranging from Anthropology to Zoology. This study takes a closer look at RB, in order to get insights into its contribution to the rapidly changing landscape of scientific communication.

Impact factors, scientometrics and the history of citation-based research

Abstract: Few contemporary inventions have influenced academic publishing as much as journal impact factors. On the other hand, debates and discussion on the potential limitations of, and appropriate uses for, journal performance indicators are almost as long as the history of the measures themselves. Given that scientometrics is often undertaken using bibliometric techniques, the history of the former is inextricably linked to the latter. As with any controversy it is difficult to separate an invention from its history, and for these reasons, the current article provides an overview of some key historical events of relevance to the impact factor. When he first proposed the concept over half a century ago, Garfield did not realise that impact factors would one day become the subject of such widespread controversy. As the current Special Issue of Scientometrics suggests, this debate continues today.

Citation flows in the zones of influence of scientific collaborations

Abstract: Domestic citation to papers from the same country and the greater citation impact of documents involving international collaboration are two phenomena that have been extensively studied and contrasted. Here, however, we show that it is not so much a national bias, but that papers have a greater impact on their immediate environments, an impact that is diluted as that environment grows. For this reason, the greatest biases are observed in countries with a limited production. Papers that involve international collaboration have a greater impact in general, on the one hand, because they have multiple “immediate environments,” and on the other because of their greater quality or prestige. In short, one can say that science knows no frontiers. Certainly there is a greater impact on the authors' immediate environment, but this does not necessarily have to coincide with their national environments, which fade in importance as the collaborative environment expands. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bibliometric practices and activities at the University of Vienna

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe bibliometrics as an emergent field for academic libraries There is a constant need to adapt to the ongoing changes and new demands of today's information environment, and the increasing importance of bibliometrics certainly presents a great opportunity for librarians to broaden their horizonDesign/methodology/approach – The ideas outlined here are based on supporting information derived from literature and on practical experience gained at the Vienna University Library, Austria A rationale is given why libraries should provide bibliometric services followed by a short overview of how the Bibliometrics Department in Vienna came into being The focus of the paper is set on a detailed description of its practices and activitiesFindings – Bibliometrics is ideal for librarians to develop and provide innovative services for both academic and administrative university staff In doing so they make sure to actively participate in the development of new strateg

Scientometric Analysis of the Scientometric Literature

Abstract: Using bibliographic records from the Social Science Citation Index, Science Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index, this paper tries to give a complete view of the evolution of the field of Scientometrics based on its literature published during 1980 to 2009. This is a descriptive survey using scientometric indicators. Findings revealed that out of 691 articles in the field of Scientometrics, a total number of 183 articles (26.48%) were written during 1980 to 2009 by the top ten authors. Some of these articles were produced in authors’ collaboration and some of them were by single authors. Geographical analysis indicated that the field had evolved considerably in different regions of the world. Hungarian Academy of Science with 40 records (5.71%) was the most productive institution in the field of Scientometrics. Furthermore, chronological analysis disclosed that the scientific production in the field of Scientometrics showed a slow increase from 1980 to 2009. The overwhelming majority of documents were in English, and the international journal of Scientometrics was the most prolific journal in the field. It has also been declared that 67.87% of the literature was published in the area of Library and Information Science.

A general framework for describing diversity within systems and similarity between systems with applications in informetrics

Abstract: Building on the ideas of Stirling (J R Soc Interface, 4(15), 707–719, 2007) and Rafols and Meyer (Scientometrics, 82(2), 263–287, 2010), we borrow models of genetic distance based on gene diversity and propose a general conceptual framework to investigate the diversity within and among systems and the similarity between systems. This framework can be used to reveal the relationship of systems weighted by the similarity of the corresponding categories. Application of the framework to scientometrics is explored to evaluate the balance of national disciplinary structures, and the homogeneity of disciplinary structures between countries.

Science growth in Iran over the past 35 years

Abstract: BACKGROUND : This study was carried out to evaluate activities in different branches of science in Iran compared to other countries over the past 35 years. METHODS : E ssential Science Indicators (ESI ) and Web of Science from (Thomson Reuters ISI) and SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) were searched for scientometrics data . ESI indicated place of Iran among other countries in all 22 scientific categories bas ed on the publication and citation rates . SJR parameters, such as publication rate , citable publications, citation rate , citation s per publication and the H-index were used to record the rank of Iran among the world’s countries. RESULTS : A progressive quantitative and qualitative growth of Iranian publications was evident. The field of c hemistry in Iran was the most prolific in terms of the number of p ublications (16982) wh ereas economics and business was the least prolific ( 156 ) . A growth in the quality of works of Iranian authors was evident by gaining higher H-index in the recent years. CONCLUSIONS : If this scientific growth of Iran continues, it would not be surprising to see Iran as one of the most powerful countries in the field of science in the World. KEYWORDS : Iran, science growth, ranking in the world

Comments on a critique of the Thomson Reuters journal impact factor

Abstract: We discuss research evaluation, the nature of impact, and the use of the Thomson Reuters journal impact factor and other indicators in scientometrics in the light of recent commentary.

Co-authorship network of scientometrics research collaboration

Abstract: This paper examines the co-authorship network in the field of scientometrics using social network analysis techniques with the aim of developing an understanding of research collaboration in this scientific community. Using co-authorship data from 3125 articles published in the journal Scientometrics with a time span of more than three decades (1980-2012), we construct an evolving co-authorship network and calculate three centrality measures (closeness, betweenness, and degree) for 3024 authors, 1207 institutions, 68 countries and 22 academic fields in this network. This paper also discusses the usability of centrality measures in author ranking, and suggests that centrality measures can be useful indicators for impact analysis. Findings revealed that scientometrics was not dominated by a couple of key researchers as quite a significant number of popular researchers were identified. The United States occupies the topmost position in all measures except for degree centrality. The most active, central and collaborative academic discipline in scientometrics is Information & Library Scienc

Scientometric research in South Africa and successful policy instruments

Abstract: This document provides an analysis of scientometric research in South Africa and it discusses sources of growth in the country's research literature in general. South Africa is identified to have limited expertise in the field revealed mainly during the last decade. However, the country is ranked 21st in the world among the countries publishing in the journal Scientometrics and it is the only African country with such a standing in the field. Identification of the forces affecting positively the growth in the number of research publications in the country indicates that the primary incentive fuelling the recent growth is the new funding formula in the country which subsidizes the universities by more than R100 000 for each publication that their staff produces. The increase in the number of journals indexed in the ISI Thomson Reuters database and the incorporation of social sciences at the NRF have also affected the growth of research publications, but to a lesser extent.

A comparative study of interdisciplinary changes between information science and library science

Abstract: This study employs the method of direct citation to analyze and compare the interdisciplinary characteristics of the two disciplines of library science and information science during the period of 1978---2007. Based on the research generated by five library science journals and five information science journals, library science researchers tend to cite publications from library and information science (LIS), education, business/management, sociology, and psychology, while researchers of information science tend to cite more publications from LIS, general science, computer science, technology, and medicine. This means that the disciplines with larger contributions to library science are almost entirely different from those contributing to information science. In addition, researchers of library science frequently cite publications from LIS; the rate is as high as 65.61%, which is much higher than the rate for information science, 49.50%. However, a decreasing trend in the percentage of LIS in library science indicates that library science researchers tend to cite more publications from non-LIS disciplines. A rising trend in the proportion of references to education sources is reported for library science articles, while a rising trend in the proportion of references to computer science sources has been found for information science articles. In addition, this study applies an interdisciplinary indicator, Brillouin's Index, to measurement of the degree of interdisciplinarity. The results confirm that the trend toward interdisciplinarity in both information science and library science has risen over the years, although the degree of interdisciplinarity in information science is higher than that in library science.

Editorial: Triple Helix and innovation in Asia using scientometrics, webometrics, and informetrics

Abstract: There is a burgeoning interest among academic scientists and policy-makers in the development and employment of TH (Triple Helix) and WSI (Webometrics, Scientometrics, and Informetrics) research methods. However, the international literature has not systematically examined TH and WSI approaches in an Asian context. Furthermore, previous literature published in international journals does not adequately address the social forces shaping TH development in Asia. Therefore, the purpose of this special issue is to bring researchers together to discuss university-industry-government (U-I-G) relations and innovation diffusion in Asia employing WSI alongside other methods.

Brazilian scientific production in science education

Abstract: In the present study we analyzed the Brazilian scientific production in the area of science education. The study was structured on: data by research groups registered in Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico; analysis of the post-graduate strictu sensu programs; analysis of theses and dissertations linked to post-graduate programs; and papers in international databases. Our research was conducted strictly via world wide web, from December 2009 to September 2010. It was found that both number of research groups, researchers, post-graduate programs, thesis, dissertations and papers presented a marked increase, especially in the last decade (from 2000 onwards). The major research centers were found to be located in public universities from Brazilian southeast and south regions. However, it was observed a tendency of decentralization, due to a recent investment in new public universities in the other Brazilian regions. So, this study sought to present an overview of the scientific production about science education and we expect that this information can help to expand the vision about the development of this research area in Brazil.

Bibliometrics as a Tool for Research Evaluation

Abstract: As this volume demonstrates, a wide variety of methodologies exist to evaluate particularly the objectives and outcomes of research and development programs. These include surveys, statistical and econometric estimations, patent analyses, bibliometrics, scientometrics, network analyses, case studies, and historical tracings. Contributors divide these and other methods and applications into four categories – economic, non-economic, hybrid and data-driven – in order to discuss the many factors that affect the utility of each technique and how that impacts the technological, economic and societal forecasts of the programs in question.

Shaping the landscape of research in information systems from the perspective of editorial boards: A scientometric study of 77 leading journals

Abstract: Characteristics of the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology and 76 other journals listed in the Information Systems category of the Journal Citation Reports–Science edition 2009 were analyzed. Besides reporting usual bibliographic indicators, we investigated the human cornerstone of any peer-reviewed journal: its editorial board. Demographic data about the 2,846 gatekeepers serving in information systems (IS) editorial boards were collected. We discuss various scientometric indicators supported by descriptive statistics. Our findings reflect the great variety of IS journals in terms of research output, author communities, editorial boards, and gatekeeper demographics (e.g., diversity in gender and location), seniority, authority, and degree of involvement in editorial boards. We believe that these results may help the general public and scholars (e.g., readers, authors, journal gatekeepers, policy makers) to revise and increase their knowledge of scholarly communication in the IS field. The EB_IS_2009 dataset supporting this scientometric study is released as online supplementary material to this article to foster further research on editorial boards. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Research on the cross-citation relationship of core authors in scientometrics

Abstract: Generally speaking, citation relationship among authors can be divided into 3 types: co-citation, coupling and cross-citation. Since author co-citation analysis was first introduced in 1982, it has been widely applied to study discipline structure, research state and research trends. Afterwards, conception of author bibliographic-coupling analysis was put forward and related empirical studies provided a method for mapping active authors in a research field for a more realistic picture of the current state of its research activities. Additionally, if one of author A's papers has a citation from one of author B's, there is cross-citation relationship between A and B. However, studies based on author cross-citation relationship mainly describe citation behaviors themselves using citation identity and citation image; they rarely involve any implicit knowledge communication, author research correlation or discovering academic communities. Author cross-citation analysis infers to both citing and cited phenomenon, which can be roughly correspond to citation identity and citation image. The study will further explore the author cross-citation relationship with core authors in scientometrics field as study object in order to provide reference for development of scientometrics field and in-depth application of citation analysis.

The “Science of HRD Research”: Reshaping HRD Research Through Scientometrics

Abstract: We explore opportunities for assessing and advancing Human Resource Development (HRD) research through an integrative literature review of scientometric theories and methods. Known as the “science of science,” scientometrics is concerned with the quantitative study of scholarly communications, disciplinary structure and assessment and measurement of research impact. The integrative review of scientometric literature showed importance in evaluating HRD research and publications, including citation analysis, citing behavior analysis, and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) journal quality control process. We discuss three major implications for engaging HRD scholars in evaluating and assessing HRD research and scholarly communications for the quality control and self-regulation of HRD research.

Publication Activity of Russian Researches in Leading International Scientific Journals

Abstract: The primary aim of this research report is to analyse the dynamics and structure of the publications of Russian authors, as well as to define the place of Russian science in the global scientific process. Bibliometric analysis methods are the main methods for quantitative analysis of scientific cooperation, efficiency, and other aspects of scientific activity. The information base for this research includes materials from science citation databases containing bibliographic descriptions of the articles published in scientific journals (mainly written in English) in a significant number of fields of science. Various parameters (e.g. dynamics of the number of publications, the number of citation, the level of co-authorship, the scientific specialization index, etc.) at various levels of aggregation (e.g. individual researchers, research organizations, countries and regions of the world) can be calculated based on these data. The results of bibliometric studies can be used in a number of ways: analysis of latest trends in the development of various scientific fields; evaluation of the effectiveness of research organizations; overall assessment of the scientific potential of Russia (its strengths and weaknesses); identification the most productive scientists in various fields of science; drawing the international comparisons of publications; analysis of collaboration networks of scientific teams. The paper analyses the basic indicators of the publication activity of scientists in Russia and the leading countries over the period between 2001 and 2011. Publication activity of Russian scientists is analysed in the context of specific areas of science. This allows the identification of areas of specialization of Russian publications. The paper also examines the dynamics of highly-cited publications and the indicators of the international scientific collaboration of Russian researchers. In this paper, materials of Web of Science database were used for analysis of publication activity.

A Citation-Analysis of Economic Research Institutes

Abstract: The citation analysis of the research output of the German economic research institutes presented here is based on publications in peer-reviewed journals listed in the Social Science Citation Index for the 2000-2009 period. The novel feature of the paper is that a count data model quantifies the determinants of citation success and simulates their citation potential. Among the determinants of the number of cites the quality of the publication outlet exhibits a strong positive effect. The same effect has the number of the published pages, but journals with size limits also yield more cites. Field journals get fewer citations in comparison to general journals. Controlling for journal quality, the number of co-authors of a paper has no effect, but it is positive when co-authors are located outside the own institution. We find that the potential citations predicted by our best model lead to different rankings across the institutes than current citations indicating structural change.

Assessment of Non-Financial Criteria in the Selection of Investment Projects for Seed Capital Funding: the Contribution of Scientometrics and Patentometrics

Abstract: The aim of this article is to assess the potential of using scientometric and patentometric indicators as a way of instrumentalizing the selection process of projects for seed capital funding. There is an increasing interest in technology based enterprises for their capacity to contribute to economic and social development, but there is also some difficulty in assessing non-financial criteria associated with technology for the purposes of financial funding. Thus, this research selected the case of the first enterprise invested in by the largest seed capital fund in Brazil, in order to create scientific and technological indicators and to assess the extent to which these indicators may contribute to understanding the market potential of the technology once it is assessed. It was concluded that scientometric and patentometric indicators favour the assessment process for non-financial criteria, in particular those criteria dealt with in this study: technology, market, divestment, and team.

Scientific Output Indicators and Scientific Collaboration Network Mapping in Brazil

Abstract: This is an investigation of Brazilian articles indexed by SCI between 2004 and 2006 with the purpose of understanding the scientific collaboration in the Brazilian community. The 49,046 articles that have been examined show that national scientific output increased every year during the period and that articles were published in a great number of journals, 15.7% of which were national publications. The most productive areas are Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Clinical and Experimental Medicine II. Authors from several institutions were identified, which indicates Brazil has yet to establish a consolidated pattern of publication, since several of the institutions contributed only one article (59.1%). Co-publication between individuals increased in the period, representing about 96% of national output. The mean number of authors per article is 6.3. Scientific output is concentrated in few institutions, mostly public universities located in specific regions. The mean number of institutions per article is 2.4...

Dynamics of Russian and World Science Through the Prism of International Publications

Abstract: This paper is available for free from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2262223 This paper analyses publication activities of scientists in Russia and selected other countries for a cross-country comparison of their integration into the global scientific community. It adds to the literature assessing global, regional and national trends in knowledge production to help policy makers develop a more flexible and effective science policy. It provides an overview of the dynamics of main indicators of scientific publications and their citation in Russia and leading countries over the period 1995-2010. Based on this analysis, the author estimates Russia's position within the global scientific community. The data are drawn from Scopus and the Web of Science databases. For Russia, the focus is on publication activity in specific areas of science, identified as specializations. In particular, the level of citation of the most highly Russian publications is noted. Also, the paper focuses on the integration of Russian researchers in the international scientific community, as measured by the number of publications co-authored with foreign researchers. Finally, it reviews the methodological approaches of the evaluation of citations, focusing on resulting problems which require further investigations. The analysis shows that Russia has lost more international status in scientific publishing activity than other countries of the studied sample. At the same time the other BRIC nations as well as some other developing Asian countries have significantly improved their international positioning in this regard.

The pragmatics of a diachronic journal impact factor

Abstract: With reference to Vanclay (Scientometrics in press, 2012) the paper argues for a pragmatic approach to the Thomson-Reuter's journal impact factor. The paper proposes and discusses to replace the current synchronous Thomson-Reuter journal impact factor by an up-to-date diachronic version (DJIF), consisting of a three-year citation window over a one year publication window. The DJIF online data collection and calculation is exemplified and compared to the present synchronous journal impact factor. The paper discusses briefly the dimensions of currency, robustness, understandability and comparability to other impact factors used in research evaluation.

Annals of Library and Information Studies, 2002–2010: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract: Introduction Research publications are the embodiments of the intellectual thought contents expressed in published literature whose key objective is to transmit innovative ideas or information to any specific field of knowledge towards the further development of a subject or a discipline. In this respect bibliometric study is regarded as one of the crucial areas of research in the field of Library and Information Science. Moreover, bibliometrics study is used as an instrument in the collection building policy by providing the precise and much needed information to the managers to take the right decision in right time as to what documents they should select and what documents they should discard from the existing collections of their respective libraries. Contextually, the present study attempts to measure the publication traits of a premier Indian referred journal namely, Annals of Library and Information Studies (ALIS) from 2002 to 2010. ALIS is a leading library science journal being published by The National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR), New Delhi on quarterly basis. This journal publishes articles, documentation notes and research reviews on library, documentation and information science, information systems, services and products, information technology, information users, bibliometrics, scientometrics and informetrics, education and training and other related topics (www.niscair.res.in). Therefore a bibliometric study of this journal is of immense significance. Review of Literature Though the statistics was applied to study the literature in any subject but the first recorded study of Bibliometric topic was in 1917 by Coles and Eales (1917) with the title 'Statistical analysis of literature of history of comparative anatomy' which served as a model for applying the counting technique in the evaluation of international activities. Pritchard (1969) first introduced the term 'Bibliometrics' in 1969 to mean 'the application of mathematics and statistical methods to books and other media of communications'. Roy (1983) has defined bibliometrics as a 'study of the process of information use by analyzing the characteristics of documents and their distribution by statistical methods. Mote and Deshmukh (1996) in their study on Annals of Library Science and Documentation found that journals are most cited form of communication amongst the library and information scientists and the source journal is the most cited publication. Shokeen and Kaushik (2004) in their study on Indian Journal of Plant Physiology found that journal articles are predominant with 81% of total citations. The ratio of author self citation to total citations is 1:16.65. The ratio of Journal Self Citation to total citation is 1:31.91. The results also highlight that 398 citations are below 10 years old, whereas 358 citations are below 20 years but more than 10 years old. In the aforesaid direction, Jena (2007) in his study on Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research, 1996-2004' revealed various details of the trend of publications of this journal. Biswas, Roy and Sen (2007) conducted a bibliometric study on Economic Botany from 1994-2003 and revealed that among the citations, books accounted for 59%, journals 41% while, e-citations were quite negligible. Furthermore, they found that the highest numbers of contributions were emanated from academic institutions such as universities. Zao, et al.(2007) in their study on Educational Psychology identified six clusters of journals, including general educational psychology/learning/literacy, school psychology, measurement and counseling, Germany-based educational psychology, creativity, and the other related themes. Furthermore, the study revealed that a small number of journals accounted for a relatively high percentage of the intradisciplinary citations; the majority of the selected journals cited more than being cited in the field. …

Dynamics of Russian and World Science through the Prism of International Publications

Abstract: Maxim Kotsemir - Junior Research Fellow, Research Laboratory for Science and Technology Studies, Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University «Higher School of Economics». Address: National Research University «Higher School of Economics», 20 Myasnitskaya str., Moscow, 101000, Russian Federation. E-mail: mkotsemir@hse.ruThis paper analyses publication activities of scientists in Russia and selected other countries for a cross-country comparison of their integration into the global scientific community. It adds to the literature assessing global, regional and national trends in knowledge production to help policy makers develop a more flexible and effective science policy.It provides an overview of the dynamics of main indicators of scientific publications and their citation in Russia and leading countries over the period 1995-2010. Based on this analysis, the author estimates Russia’s position within the global scientific community. The data are drawn from Scopus and the Web of Science databases. For Russia, the focus is on publication activity in specific areas of science, identified as specializations. In particular, the level of citation of the most highly Russian publications is noted. Also, the paper focuses on the integration of Russian researchers in the international scientific community, as measured by the number of publications co-authored with foreign researchers. Finally, it reviews the methodological approaches of the evaluation of citations, focusing on resulting problems which require further investigations.The analysis shows that Russia has lost more international status in scientific publishing activity than other countries of the studied sample. At the same time the other BRIC nations as well as some other developing Asian countries have significantly improved their international positioning in this regard.

Webometric analysis of Nigerian university websites

Abstract: University website; Nigeria; Africa; Hyperlinks; Link analysis; Web graph; Webometrics; World Wide Web; Bibliometric analysis; Scientometrics; Andrey A. Pechnikov; Anthony M. Nwohiri

Tracking Scientometric Research in Taiwan Using Bibliometric and Content Analysis

Abstract: This study used bibliometric analysis and content analysis to explore characteristics and trends of scientometric research authored by researchers in Taiwan based on journal articles and theses. The findings indicated that after the first article on scientometrics was published in 1987, an increasing trend was observed in the number of scientometric-related publications after 2000, indicating that scientometric research received more attention in recent years. The scope of disciplines of researchers was broad, and the number of disciplines continued to increase. This confirms the interdisciplinary nature of scientometric research with relationships that cross over different areas. From the perspective of the authors' disciplines, the largest percentage of the authors were from the fields of library and information science (LIS), followed by business and management, and medical science, but a considerable drop in number was observed in the percentage of LIS. In addition, co-authored articles were dominant. Over half of these articles were classified as inter-institutional collaboration and exhibited a steadily increasing trend. The number of interdisciplinary articles also exhibited an upward trend. Most of the research topics focused on citation analysis and characteristic of literature. The same trends were also found in the top two research methods: general bibliometric analysis and citation analysis. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of scientometric research, the academic backgrounds of the researchers would naturally be diverse. Given this characteristic, this study suggests that the relationship between disciplines of researchers and research topics can be further explored.