Funding acknowledgment analysis:Queries and Caveats

TL;DR

This paper reviews the use of funding acknowledgment data from Web of Science, highlighting its value and limitations for bibliometric analysis and emphasizing the need for cautious interpretation.

Contribution

It provides a critical overview of the distribution, coverage, and biases in funding acknowledgment data used in bibliometric studies.

Findings

Coverage limitations in acknowledgment data

Potential biases in bibliometric analysis

Caution advised in interpreting FA data

Abstract

Thomson Reuters' Web of Science (WoS) began systematically collecting acknowledgment information in August 2008. Since then, bibliometric analysis of funding acknowledgment (FA) has been growing and has aroused intense interest and attention from both academia and policy makers. Examining the distribution of FA by citation index database, by language, and by acknowledgment type, we noted coverage limitations and potential biases in each analysis. We argue that in spite of its great value, bibliometric analysis of FA should be used with caution.