A Review of Theory and Practice in Scientometrics

http://arxiv.org/vc/arxiv/papers/1501/1501.05462v2.pdf

John Mingers

Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury CT7 2PE, UK

j.mingers@kent.ac.uk

01227 824008

Loet Leydesdorff

Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam, PO Box 15793, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands

loet@leydesdorff.net

Abstract

Scientometrics is the study of the quantitative aspects of the process of science as a communication system. It is centrally, but not only, concerned with the analysis of citations in the academic literature. In recent years it has come to play a major role in the measurement and evaluation of research performance. In this review we consider: the historical development of scientometrics, sources of citation data, citation metrics and the “laws" of scientometrics, normalisation, journal impact factors and other journal metrics, visualising and mapping science, evaluation and policy, and future developments.

Keywords

altmetrics, bibliometrics, citations, h-index, impact factor, normalisation, scientometrics

(科学计量学是把科学看作一个交流系统，定量研究科学过程的特征。它非常关注科学文献之间的引用分析。近年来它在科研绩效评价和测度方面扮演了重要角色。这篇综述涉及：科学计量学的发展历程；引文数据源；引文指标和科学计量学“定律”；归一化；期刊影响影响因子和其它期刊指标；科学可视化；评价与政策；未来的发展。）

Scientometrics is one of several related fields:

Bibliometrics – “The application of mathematics and statistical methods to books and other media of communication” (Pritchard, 1969, p. 349). This is the original area of study covering books and publications generally. The term “bibliometrics” was first proposed by Otlet (1934; cf. Rousseau, 2014).

Scientometrics – “The quantitative methods of the research on the development of science as an informational process” (Nalimov & Mulcjenko, 1971, p. 2). This field concentrates specifically on science (and the social sciences and humanities).

Informetrics – “The study of the application of mathematical methods to the objects of information science” (Nacke, 1979, p. 220). Perhaps the most general field covering all types of information regardless of form or origin (Egghe, L. & Rousseau, 1988).

Webometrics – “The study of the quantitative aspects of the construction and use of information resources, structures and technologies on the Web drawing on bibliometric and informetric approaches (Björneborn & Ingwersen, 2004, p. 1217; Thelwall & Vaughan, 2004). This field mainly concerns the analysis of web pages as if they were documents.

Altmetrics – “The study and use of scholarly impact measures based on activity in online tools and environments” (Priem, 2014, p. 266). Also called scientometrics 2.0, this field replaces journal citations with impacts in social networking tools such as views, downloads, “likes”, blogs, Twitter, Mendelay, CiteULike.