KnowledgeLink Newsletter

July 2008

Until relatively recently, peer review was the main route by which science policymakers and research funders made policy decisions about science. However this is now being combined with bibliometrics to provide solid, objective information that impact resources, careers and future directions.

A library faced with collection decisions, a foundation making funding choices, or a government office weighing national research needs — all must rely on expert analysis of scientific research performance. Traditional peer review processes have now been enhanced by the application of bibliometrics.

Quantitative analysis of research performance offers certain advantages in gathering the objective information necessary for decision-making:

• Quantitative analysis of research is global in perspective, offering a top-down review that puts the work in context, complementing the local perspective of peer review
• Quantitative research analysis provides data on all activity in an area, summaries of these data, and a comprehensive perspective on activity and achievements
• Weighted quantitative measures, such as papers per researcher or citations per paper, remove characteristics, such as the place of production or past

A new white paper from Thomson Reuters discusses in detail the importance of selecting appropriate data and analysis methods to match the purpose of the research evaluation, and offers a simple guide to Thomson Reuters evaluative products and services can help you dig deeper into data.

Using Bibliometrics: A Guide to Evaluating Research Performance with Citation Data: download the free white paper