Author:
T. Phelan The Australian National University Research Evaluation and Policy Project Canberra (Australia)

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Abstract  

This paper examines a number of the criticisms that citation analysis has been subjected to over the years. It is argued that many of these criticisms have been based on only limited examinations of data in particular contexts and it remains unclear how broadly applicable these problems are to research conducted at different levels of analysis, in specific field, and among various national data sets. Relevant evidence is provided from analysis of Australian and international data. Citation analysis is likely to be most reliable when data is aggregated and at the highly-cited end of the distribution. It is possible to make valid inferences about individual cases, although considerable caution should be used. Bibliometric measures should be viewed as a useful supplement to other research evaluation measures rather than as a replacement.

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Scientometrics
Language English
Size B5
Year of
Foundation
1978
Volumes
per Year
1
Issues
per Year
12
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Publisher's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
CH-6330 Cham, Switzerland Gewerbestrasse 11.
Responsible
Publisher
Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0138-9130 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2861 (Online)