Characteristics of International versus Non-International Scientific Publication Media in Team- and Author-Based Data

TL;DR

This study examines differences between international and non-international publication media in social sciences, assessing their characteristics and implications for research quality evaluation.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of how media categories with and without an international dimension differ in publication data and their relation to research quality.

Findings

International media are associated with higher research quality.

Differences in publication patterns between media types affect bibliometric evaluations.

Extended media categories may not measure the same concepts as traditional international journals.

Abstract

The enlarged coverage of the international publication and citation databases Web of Science and Scopus towards local media in social sciences was a welcome response to an increased usage of these databases in evaluation and funding systems. The mostly international journals available earlier were the basis for the development of current standard bibliometric indicators. The same indicators may no longer measure exactly the same concepts when applied to newly introduced or extended media categories, with possibly different characteristics than those of international journals. This paper investigates differences between media with and without international dimension in publication data at team and author level. The findings relate the international publication categories to research quality, important for validation of their usage in evaluation or funding models that aim to stimulate quality.