Bibliometrics a statistical analysis of resources such as articles, books and publications, as well as on citations in articles. Citation indexes as well as co-citation analyses, are used to measure research quality.
Bibliometrics can be used to evaluate the impact on the academic community, of a research paper, an individual researcher, a research group or institution, or a journal.
In other words, bibliometrics are measures of an author's influence or impact. Two commonly used bibliometrics are impact factor and h-index.
Databases used for bibliometric analysis
Scopus is a citation database which covers all disciplines. Students and staff at UR have access to Scopus via the programmes in Research4Life, such as HINARI and AGORA. Ask the librarians for log in details for the programmes and for assistance using Scopus.
Another bibliometric resource is Web of Science. The UR Library Services will soon share more detailed information on it here.
Both databases are desribed here.
When to use bibliometrics
Bibliometrics can be used to evaluate the impact on the academic community of a research paper, an individual researcher, a research group or institution, or a journal as described below:
- when applying for tenure, promotion or grants
- by including bibliometric data on your CV
- in order to show the value of your research to your institution
- by showing return on investment to funding bodies, industry and the general public.
Identify areas of research strength and weakness to inform future research priorities for an institution.
Identify top performing journals in a subject area, in order to:
- decide where to publish
- learn more about a subject area
- identify emerging areas of research.
Identify top researchers in a subject area, in order to:
- locate potential collaborators or competitors
- learn more about a subject area
- inform a recruitment process.