Applied Evaluative Informetrics: Part 1

TL;DR

This paper introduces applied evaluative informetrics, discussing its history, key indicators, and the role of metrics in research assessment, aiming to guide scholars and developers in understanding and applying these tools effectively.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the field, analyzing 28 different indicators and exploring their strengths, limitations, and policy implications in research evaluation.

Findings

Analysis of 28 citation, patent, reputation, and altmetrics indicators

Discussion of the pros and cons of various research performance metrics

Insights into the policy and development context of evaluative informetrics

Abstract

This manuscript is a preprint version of Part 1 (General Introduction and Synopsis) of the book Applied Evaluative Informetrics, to be published by Springer in the summer of 2017. This book presents an introduction to the field of applied evaluative informetrics, and is written for interested scholars and students from all domains of science and scholarship. It sketches the field's history, recent achievements, and its potential and limits. It explains the notion of multi-dimensional research performance, and discusses the pros and cons of 28 citation-, patent-, reputation- and altmetrics-based indicators. In addition, it presents quantitative research assessment as an evaluation science, and focuses on the role of extra-informetric factors in the development of indicators, and on the policy context of their application. It also discusses the way forward, both for users and for developers of informetric tools.