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Publications
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Thaule, Jimi & Strand, Marte
(2018).
Evaluating evaluative bibliometrics: a case study of two research groups.
Proceedings of the IATUL Conferences.
39(1).
Full text in Research Archive
Show summary
Bibliometrics is a method increasingly used to perform evaluations of scientific output and
impact, in particular in order to distribute means, such as research grants. But also internally
within universities and other research institutions. Various performance and impact meaures are
used to establish quality of research.
This can be highly problematic, not only in terms of ethics, but also with regards to
method. Especially considering the proliferation of tools to perform bibliometric analysis, which
means that analyses are increasingly performed without actual understanding of bibliometrics
as a scientific method.
In our research we have compared two research groups in the same field of research,
both from Norwegian universities, and with a similar size and goal. We have used a variety of
methods to normalize between them, in order evaluate the ethics and methodical reliability of
the results.
We found that in order to compare the two groups for benchmarking purposes we
needed to perform a number of normalizations, to the point where it rendered the results largely
useless. Too many individual strengths of each group had to be left out of the evaluation in
order to compare the two in equal terms.
In our case these problems were increased by the fact that one of the two groups is
multidisciplinary, which in turn demanded methods to correct for differing publication patterns
within the same group. Without knowledge of the researchers background this is an element
that could easily be overlooked, and in turn skew the results in the group’s disfavor.
This is turn means that evaluative bibliometrics is in danger of either skewing the results
in favor of a certain type of research or group of researchers, or type of publication. In the worst
case research funds can be alloted, or entire research groups lose funds based on unsound
comparisons and prejudice against certain types of publications
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Thaule, Jimi & Strand, Marte
(2018).
Bibliometri webinar.
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Thaule, Jimi & Strand, Marte
(2018).
Evaluating evaluative bibliometrics.
View all works in Cristin
Published
Apr. 16, 2024 11:23 AM