This book deals with the evaluation of scholarly research performance by means of citation analysis. For citation analysis to be effective as a research evaluation tool, it is essential that all participants understand its nature, how its indicators are constructed and calculated, what they intend to measure, and their potentialities and limitations, particularly in relation to peer review. This text is designed to provide such insight. The author applies 20 years of experience to reveal important facts, to correct common misunderstandings, and to offer a critical examination of the limitations and pitfalls of citation analysis in research evaluation.

The use of citation analysis in research evaluation is a most policy relevant, controversial topic that receives much attention in the academic world Written by an expert in the field who has been active for over 20 years and who published dozens of research articles in numerous journals including the journal Nature Does not merely deal with evaluation of basic science, but also of applied and technical sciences, social sciences and humanities Critical, and highlights not merely the potentialities but also the limits and pitfalls of the use of citation analysis in research evaluation

Inhalt
Executive Summary.- General Introduction and Main Conclusions.- General Introduction.- Basic Notions and General Conclusions.- Synopsis.- Empirical and Theoretical Chapters.- Citation Analysis of Basic Science Research Departments.- Citation Analysis of Scientific Journals.- Basic Principles, Citation Links and Terminology.- ISI Coverage by Discipline.- Implications for the Use of the ISI Citation Indexes in Research Evaluation.- Differences Between Science, Social Sciences and Humanities.- Expanded Citation Analysis: A Case Study in Economics.- A Case Study of Research Performance in Law.- Introductory Notes on Accuracy Issues.- Accuracy of Citation Counts.- Problems with the Names of Authors and Institutions, and with the Delimitation of Subfields.- What do References and Citations Measure?.- Towards a Theory of Citation: Some Building Blocks.- Implications for the Use of Citation Analysis in Research Evaluation.- Peer Review and the Use and Validity of Citation Analysis.- Analysis of Peer Assessments of Research Departments.- Analysis of a National Research Council.- Did Global Scientific Publication Productivity Increase During the 1980s and 1990s?.- Measuring Trends in National Publication Output.- Does International Scientific Collaboration Pay?.- Do US Scientists Overcite Papers from their Own Country?.- Development of New Indicators.- Electronic Publishing, New Databases and Search Engines.- Further Research.