This book presents scientific metrics and its applications for approaching scientific findings in the field of Physics, Economics and Scientometrics. Based on a collection of the author’s publications in these fields, the book reveals the profound links between the measures and the findings in the natural laws, from micro-particles to macro-cosmos, in the economic rules of human society, and in the core knowledge among mass information. With this book the readers can gain insights or ideas on addressing the questions of how to measure the physical world, economics process and human knowledge, from the perspective of scientific metrics. The book is also useful to scientists, particularly to specialists in physics, economics and scientometrics, for promoting and stimulating their creative ideas based on scientific metrics.
How the increasing reliance on metrics to evaluate scholarly publications has produced new forms of academic fraud and misconduct. The traditional academic imperative to “publish or perish” is increasingly coupled with the newer necessity of “impact or perish”—the requirement that a publication have “impact,” as measured by a variety of metrics, including citations, views, and downloads. Gaming the Metrics examines how the increasing reliance on metrics to evaluate scholarly publications has produced radically new forms of academic fraud and misconduct. The contributors show that the metrics-based “audit culture” has changed the ecology of research, fostering the gaming and manipulation of quantitative indicators, which lead to the invention of such novel forms of misconduct as citation rings and variously rigged peer reviews. The chapters, written by both scholars and those in the trenches of academic publication, provide a map of academic fraud and misconduct today. They consider such topics as the shortcomings of metrics, the gaming of impact factors, the emergence of so-called predatory journals, the “salami slicing” of scientific findings, the rigging of global university rankings, and the creation of new watchdogs and forensic practices.
Traducción parcial de la Introducción: "En la actualidad, la evaluación de la investigaciones es una cuestión que se está replanteando en todo el mundo. En algunos casos, los trabajos de investigación están generando resultados muy buenos, en la mayoría de los casos los resultados son mediocres, y en algunos casos negativos. Por todo esto, la evaluación de los resultados de la investigación se convierte en una condición sine qua non. Cuando el número de investigadores eran menos, eran los propios colegas de profesión quienes evaluaban la investigación. Con el paso del tiempo, el número de investigadores aumentó, las áreas de investigación proliferaron, los resultados de la investigación se multiplicaron. La tendencia continuó y después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la investigación comenzó a crecer exponencialmente. Hoy en día, incluso en una estimación moderada hay alrededor de más de un millón de investigadores y producen más de dos millón de trabajos de investigación y otros documentos por año. En este contexto, la evaluación de la investigación es una cuestión de primera importancia. Para cualquier promoción, acreditación, premio y beca puede haber decenas o cientos de nominados. De entre éstos, seleccionar el mejor candidato es una cuestión difícil de determinar. Las evaluaciones inter pares en muchos casos están demostrando ser subjetivas. En 1963 se crea Science Citation Index (SCI) que cubre la literatura científica desde 1961. Unos años después, Eugene Garfield, fundador del SCI, preparó una lista de los 50 autores científicos más citados basándose en las citas que recibía el trabajo de un autor por parte de los trabajos de otros colegas de investigación. El documento titulado "¿Pueden predecirse los ganadores del Premio Nobel? 'Fue publicado en 1968 (Garfield y Malin, 1968). En el siguiente año es decir, 1969, dos científicos que figuran en la lista, por ejemplo, Derek HR Barton y Murray Gell-Mann recibieron el codiciado premio. Esto reivindicó la utilidad del análisis de citas. Cada año, varios científicos pertenecientes al campo de la Física, Química, Fisiología y Medicina reciben el Premio Nobel. De esta manera el análisis de citas se convirtió en una herramienta útil. Sin embargo, el análisis de citas siempre tuvo críticas y múltiples fallas. Incluso Garfield comentó - "El Uso del análisis de citas de los trabajos de evaluación es una tarea difícil. Existen muchas posibilidades de error '(Garfiled, 1983). Para la evaluación de la investigación, se necesitaban algunos otros indicadores. El análisis de citas, junto con la revisión por pares garantiza el mejor juicio en innumerables casos. Pero se necesita algo que sea más exacto. La llegada de la World Wide Web (WWW) brindó la oportunidad; pues un buen número de indicadores se están generando a partir de los datos disponibles en la WWW". (Trad. Julio Alonso Arévalo. Univ. Salamanca).
Dr. Geisler's far-reaching, unique book provides an encyclopedic compilation of the key metrics to measure and evaluate the impact of science and technology on academia, industry, and government. Focusing on such items as economic measures, patents, peer review, and other criteria, and supported by an extensive review of the literature, Dr. Geisler gives a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in metric design, and in the use of the specific metrics he cites. His book has already received prepublication attention, and will prove especially valuable for academics in technology management, engineering, and science policy; industrial R&D executives and policymakers; government science and technology policymakers; and scientists and managers in government research and technology institutions. Geisler maintains that the application of metrics to evaluate science and technology at all levels illustrates the variety of tools we currently possess. Each metric has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, but overall, metrics offer the best possible way to evaluate science and technology. He then finds that in general, science and technology have a positive effect on the human experience. Truly state of the art in the study of the metrics of science and technology, their outcomes and contributions to society and the economy, the book provides unique analyses of the academic world and its most useful metrics: the industrial science/technology research and development complex, and the government network of laboratories. For each, Geisler gives a comprehensive analysis of the main metrics and their best applications. His book is thus also usable in certain advanced undergraduate and graduate courses and seminars that treat technology and engineering management, project management in technology industries, and the evaluation of social and economic programs.
In February 2010, the National Research Council convened a workshop to investigate the feasibility of developing well-grounded common metrics to advance behavioral and social science research, both in terms of advancing the development of theory and increasing the utility of research for policy and practice. The Workshop on Advancing Social Science Theory: The Importance of Common Metrics had three goals: To examine the benefits and costs involved in moving from metric diversity to greater standardization, both in terms of advancing the development of theory and increasing the utility of research for policy and practice. To consider whether a set of criteria can be developed for understanding when the measurement of a particular construct is ready to be standardized. To explore how the research community can foster a move toward standardization when it appears warranted. This book is a summary of the two days of presentations and discussions that took place during the workshop.
We intend to edit a Festschrift for Henk Moed combining a “best of” collection of his papers and new contributions (original research papers) by authors having worked and collaborated with him. The outcome of this original combination aims to provide an overview of the advancement of the field in the intersection of bibliometrics, informetrics, science studies and research assessment.
Software Metrics is the first book to survey its subject, measuring its present extent, describing its characteristic features, and indicating directions of potential expansion.
We intend to edit a Festschrift for Henk Moed combining a “best of” collection of his papers and new contributions (original research papers) by authors having worked and collaborated with him. The outcome of this original combination aims to provide an overview of the advancement of the field in the intersection of bibliometrics, informetrics, science studies and research assessment.
