Supporting Bibliometrics

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JIBS - “Research evaluation - is it our business? Librarians' roles in the brave new world of research evaluation”

Supporting Bibliometrics

Jenny DelasalleAcademic Support Manager (Research)


I will cover…

• Some background information about University of Warwick and about me.

• Bibliometrics in use: how they can be relevant to researchers

• Understanding bibliometrics: stuff I tell researchers!


About me & my role at Warwick

Academic Support Manager

(Research)

Academic Support Manager (Teaching & Learning)

Teaching Grid and Learning Grid Manager

Academic Services Development Manager

Head ofAcademic Services

Academic Support Librarian (Research)

Research Exchange Advisers, Co-ordinator, Assistant., Ambassadors


What the Library offers to Researchers

• Subject expert ASLs who liaise with departments about their needs & deliver information skills training, enquiries support, etc

• Specialist collections, including MRC (Archive)• Information Management strand on the Research Student Skills

Programme• One-off, tailored workshops and presentations.• WRAP repository & NEW Publications Service• Expertise on advanced information skills… including

bibliometrics, copyright, publishing, Web 2.0

• The Wolfson Research Exchange


Liaison with ….

• IT Services• Student Careers and Skills - for training students (including

PhD students)• Graduate School – administration of post-graduate students

(including PhD students)• Institute for Advanced Studies – early career fellowships• Learning and Development Centre - part of HR, for training

staff.• Research Support Services – help with grant applications but

also managing fincances throughout project• Management & Planning office – handle REF return but also

provide HoDs with information.• Communications Office – promoting Warwick research• Legal Compliance – guidance on copyright, data protection,

etc


Routes to reach researchers at Warwick

• RSF – Research Staff Forum• Research Committee• Faculty Research Forum (chairs)• (Heads of) Research Centres/ Institutes • (Heads of) Doctoral training centres• Directors of Graduate studies • PhD supervisers’ training• Direct e-mail (list from HR)• Via ASLs, Graduate SSLCs and Library reps• Communications Office newsletter every week & monthly

magazine & the Uni Intranet• LDC newsletter• WRAP newsletter• Library website, Research Exchange website, blogs, Facebook


An interest in bibliometrics!

• Journals to keep/withdraw

• Repository management: advocacy messages that OA publishing boosts citations.

• Does repository deposit make a difference to citations?

• Will the REF include citation measurements?

• Web of Knowledge training free, through Mimas

• Jiscmail Lis-bibliometrics list.


Our Approach to bibliometrics

• Understanding of bibliometrics is a key information skill• Best not to refer to the term “bibliometrics” itself?• Cover elements of these in other workshops:

– “Getting Published”– “Literature Searching”

• Use the controversy around publication “strategy” to engage audience: workshop at a doctoral centre.

• Publicise our expertise: amongst researchers and University management.

• Online material to complement our offer. – REx website: Researcher to Researcher approach


Bibliometrics in use

• Considering where to publish.

• What do we do about the REF?

• Benchmarking a department.

• Evidence for a job application/grant application/salary review, etc

– Measurements in University rankings.


Appraising journals when considering publication• Librarians:

– Know the data sources (WoK Ifs, SciMago SJR, RePec, Anne-Wil Harzing’s website)

– Know about Open Access– Know where journals are indexed & which indexes are

important to a discipline• Other than impact factors, we have knowledge of:

– Features of journals such as letter, blogs, reviews, etc– Copyright agreements– Publicising your work using Web 2.0– Other publication channels than journals: how to measure them!– Cross-disciplinary perspective.


Impact Factors : JCR and SciMago

JCR SciMago

Subscription-based Open access resource

No equivalent SJR

No equivalent Total Docs

Total Cites (given for 1 year) Total Cites (given for 3 years)

2 year impact factor Cites/Docs (2 years)

5 year impact factor No equivalent

Immediacy Index No equivalent

Cited Half-Life No equivalent

Eigenfactor score No equivalent


What can we say about REF 2014 and bibliometrics?

• Not much – yet!

• Watch for announcements this summer.• Work with department which gathers our return.• Ensure that publications data is properly recorded.

• Medicine, Science and Engineering most likely candidates.


Benchmarking a department

1. No. of papers published by a department in a given period, for example:

Source: http://www.science-metrix.com/pdf/SM_CETC_Energy_Report_V05_F3.pdf

NB how do you define which papers to be included for each set?

2. No. of citations: total or per paper?

http://www.science-metrix.com/pdf/SM_CETC_Energy_Report_V05_F3.pdf


Evidence about an individual – h-index

h-index of 4 means there are 4 published papers each with at least 4 citations

OR: Professor X has a total of 10 publications

Publication 1 20 cites




----------------------------------------------------------- h-index: 4



Publications 7,8,9,10 0 cites


Evidence about an individual (2)

• Egghe's g-index – aims to improve on the H-index by giving more weight to highly-cited articles.

• Contemporary h-index - aims to improve on the H-index by

giving more weight to recent articles and therefore rewards academics who maintain a steady level of activity.

• Be wary of others’ declared h-index scores: which data sets are they based on?

• Context is everything!


Measurement in University Rankings

• Which ones matter to your University?– Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) - also

known as ‘The Shanghai Rankings’ – Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings

– The QS World University Rankings – Webometrics Ranking of World Universities

• A good ranking… – helps universities attract the most talented researchers.– university can set higher fees and attract more funding for

research.• BUT how they are calculated might not mean that a high h-

index is the thing to ask of your researchers…

• !

http://www.arwu.org/

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/

http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings

http://www.webometrics.info/


Understanding Bibliometrics

• Not one “bibliometric” measure but many: – Paper counts– journal impact factors – The h-index– citation scores at article level – visitor numbers (or other info) for online articles

• Motivations for publication.• Motivations for citation.• Effects of collaboration? Discipline? • Differences in data sources: their coverage/collection, the

measures they publish and the graphs/analysis they offer.


RAE: what was submitted?

• All institutions 2008 RAE journal articles: 167,831• All institutions 2008 RAE all types: 222,177

• https://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Project-Merit/Merit-Search/

https://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Project-Merit/Merit-Search/

https://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/Project-Merit/Merit-Search/


RIN (September 2009). Communicating knowledge: How and why UK researchers publish and disseminate their findings, Research Information Network; JISC.


Collaboration effects

• Other researchers – own discipline, or other disciplines?

• Peer review practices vary: in the Arts can take upwards of 6 months.

• With industry – publication good for them?• Agreement on what to publish & where• Acknowledging contributions: variety of practice• Negotiation skills!


Some motivations for citations

• Paying homage to experts– Especially those likely to be peer reviewers!

• Credit to peers whose work you have built upon– Lend weight to own claims

• Provide background reading• Criticising/correcting previous work• Sign-posting under-noticed work

– (own paper which would affect your h-index!)• Self citations!


Citation patterns

• Most publications have little or no citations.• Variety across the disciplines.• Therefore comparisons within a discipline are most useful.• Percentages against a world average within each discipline are

more useful than basic numbers.


Sceptical and informed!

Supporting Bibliometrics

Education

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