Eugene Garfield, Francis Narin, and PageRank: The Theoretical Bases of the Google Search Engine

TL;DR

This paper compares Google Scholar's PageRank algorithm with Garfield's citation indexing theory, demonstrating that their foundational premises are identical and mutually validating, thus supporting the use of PageRank for evaluating research publications.

Contribution

It establishes a theoretical link between PageRank and citation indexing, showing their shared principles and mutual validation for research assessment.

Findings

PageRank's premises align with Garfield's citation theory

Theoretical validation of using PageRank for research evaluation

Supports Google Scholar's citation-based metrics

Abstract

This paper presents a test of the validity of using Google Scholar to evaluate the publications of researchers by comparing the premises on which its search engine, PageRank, is based, to those of Garfield's theory of citation indexing. It finds that the premises are identical and that PageRank and Garfield's theory of citation indexing validate each other.