Breaking boundaries: patterns in interdisciplinary citation
Collaboration has always been an essential aspect of scientific research. Today, technology is making it easier for researchers in one field to access and identify useful research in other subjects. We take a look at citations made to other subjects to see whether collaboration is increasing and in which areas.
   
     
   
Measuring up:
how does the h-index correlate with peer assessments?
There are two broad approaches to assess research performance: peer review and the numerous indices based on bibliometric data and analysis. But do they both provide comparable results, and how should they be used? We ask Lutz Bornmann and Hans-Dieter Daniel how the h-index performs against peer review.
     
   
Turning the ranking tables on their head:
how to improve your standing
Rankings are a useful way for outsiders to assess the relative value of different universities, and administrators are quickly learning that improving their ranking is a useful mark of quality. But what are the rankers looking at, and how can a university show its best side? We speak to one university that is making the rankings work in its favor.
     
   
Promoting innovation in Italy
The European paradox, whereby Europe trails the United States in its ability to transfer academic knowledge to industry, is mirrored in Italy, which is falling behind the major European countries. We speak to Giovanni Abramo and Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo, who believe that bibliometrics could be part of the solution.
     
   
...So many papers outside your field?
Computer science is one field that is displaying great leaps towards multidisciplinarity. We ask a computer scientist why he cited outside his subject area.
     
 
 

Scientometrics: the birth of the science of science

Scientometrics is the science of measuring and analyzing science: the science of science. The term ‘scientometrics’ (in Russian: naukometriya) was coined by VV Nalimov in a 1966 paper (1), and he subsequently used the term as the title for his 1969 book on quantitative methods of research on the evolution of science (2). As with many Russian technical reports published during the Cold War, the book was machine-translated into English by the United States Air Force Foreign Technology Division (now the National Air and Space Intelligence Center) in 1971 for distribution to American scientists.

References
(1) Nalimov, VV (1966) “Kolichestvennye metody issledovaniya protsessa razvitiya nauki” [Quantitative methods of research of scientific evolution], Voprosy filosofii [Philosophy Problems], Vol. 12, pp. 38–47.

(2) Nalimov, VV and Mulchenko ZM (1969) Naukometriya. Izuchenie nauki kak informatsionnogo protsessa [Scientometrics. Study of science as an information process]. Moscow: Nauka Publishers.
     
     

Editorial Board
Iris Kisjes | Gert Jan Geraeds | Andrew Plume | David Tempest | Judith Kamalski | Sarah Couffignal-Szymczak | Michelle Pirotta, The Write Company

IEEE

International Symposium on University Rankings

Osservatorio Ricerca Pubblica Italiana (Interface in Italian; queries in English)

The h-index: Hirsch’s original 2005 paper

IREG-4 Conference

NCURA Magazine

ISSUE 10 MARCH 2009

ISSUE 9 JANUARY 2009

ISSUE 8 NOVEMBER 2008

ISSUE 7 SEPTEMBER 2008

ISSUE 6 JULY 2008

ISSUE 5 MAY 2008

ISSUE 4 MARCH 2008

ISSUE 3 JANUARY 2008

ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 2007

ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2007

Country rankings
November 2007

Country rankings
September 2007
x