Self-promotion

Towards more nuanced altmetric methods and indicators

We have recently had accepted a paper in FEMS Microbiology Letters in which we develop a methodological framework for the use of altmetrics trying to go beyond counting hits and trying to inform on how and who consumes what scientific literature. Although, not yet published, there is already a postprint version available via ArXiv which can be consulted. Read more “Towards more nuanced altmetric methods and indicators” →

Opinion

Scientific excellence is just one of the many paths…

Recently the LSE Impact blog posted and entry by Richard Woolley and I where we comment on the dangers of trying to link scientific excellence and societal impact. Assessing the societal impact of research is now the big challenge in research evaluation. Until recently, evaluative and policy efforts were placed on promoting the so-called ‘excellent research’, following the logic that it is the best research the one that can lead to social change and respond to current societal challenges. But the UK 2014 REF has been a game-changer by introducing a complex peer review system by which committees assess the impact of submitted case studies in which researchers explain how their research has contributed to society (in which ever terms they find suitable). Read more “Scientific excellence is just one of the many paths to societal impact” →

Self-promotion

International collaboration: It is not only a matter of…

Collaboration through co-authorship is a long studied field of work in scientometrics. The notion of international collaboration has been widely acknowledged through bibliometric data as a positive factor to improve the citation impact and visibility of publications. What is more, the share of international collaboration is an indicator of success used in many evaluation exercises at the individual level (e.g., Ramón y Cajal in Spain) and it is included in the set of indicators pre-calculated in many bibliometric suites such as Clarivate’s InCites. Read more “International collaboration: It is not only a matter of with whom but with how many?” →