Adjusted sum of institutional scores as an indicator of the presence of university systems in the ARWU ranking

Author: Domingo Docampo

Abstract

In this article I introduce a new indicator that measures the presence of a higher education system in the Shanghai Jiao Tong Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). First, the benefits of introducing such a measure and the drawbacks associated with the possible choices of the indicator are discussed. To analyze the drawbacks, the sample of countries with presence in ARWU is split into two groups of small and large world's GDP share. A raw indicator based upon the sum of the scores of all the universities from a country divided by its world's GDP share shows a noticeable bias in favor of small countries, so a one-way between-groups analysis of variance is conducted to help in canceling the bias. That leads to the introduction of a new aggregate indicator that can be computed in a very simple fashion. A discussion of the performance of higher education systems using this new indicator closes the paper.

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Comparison of Brazilian researchers in clinical medicine: are criteria for ranking well-adjusted?

Authors: Eduardo A. Oliveira, Enrico A. Colosimo, Daniella R. Martelli, Isabel G. Quirino, Maria Christina L. Oliveira, Leonardo S. Lima, Ana Cristina Simões e Silva and Hercílio Martelli-Júnior

Abstract

Quantifying the relative performance of individual scholars has become an integral part of decision-making in research policy. The objective of the present study was to evaluate if the scholarship rank of Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) researchers in Medicine is consistent with their scientific productivity. The Lattes curricula of 411 researchers (2006–2008) were included in the study. Scholarship category was the variable of interest. Other variables analyzed were: time since receiving the doctorate, teaching activity (undergraduate, master's and doctoral students), number of articles published, and number of papers indexed by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and Scopus databases. Additional performance indicators included were: citations, h-index, and m-index. There was a significant difference among scholarship categories regarding number of papers per year, considering the entire scientific career (P < 0.001) or the last 5 years (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference among scholarship categories regarding the number of citations per article in the ISI (Thomson Reuters) database (P = 0.23). There was a significant difference in h-index among scholarship categories in both databases, i.e. (P < 0.001) and Scopus (P < 0.001). Regarding the m-index, there was a significant difference among categories only in the ISI database (P = 0.012). According to our findings, a better instrument for qualitative and quantitative indicators is needed to identify researchers with outstanding scientific output.

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Experimental comparison of first and second-order similarities in a scientometric context

Authors: Cristian Colliander and Per Ahlgren

Abstract

The measurement of similarity between objects plays a role in several scientific areas. In this article, we deal with document–document similarity in a scientometric context. We compare experimentally, using a large dataset, first-order with second-order similarities with respect to the overall quality of partitions of the dataset, where the partitions are obtained on the basis of optimizing weighted modularity. The quality of a partition is defined in terms of textual coherence. The results show that the second-order approach consistently outperforms the first-order approach. Each difference between the two approaches in overall partition quality values is significant at the 0.01 level.

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Evolutionary dynamics of scientific collaboration networks: multi-levels and cross-time analysis

Authors: Alireza Abbasi, Liaquat Hossain, Shahadat Uddin and Kim J. R. Rasmussen

Abstract

Several studies exist which use scientific literature for comparing scientific activities (e.g., productivity, and collaboration). In this study, using co-authorship data over the last 40 years, we present the evolutionary dynamics of multi level (i.e., individual, institutional and national) collaboration networks for exploring the emergence of collaborations in the research field of “steel structures”. The collaboration network of scientists in the field has been analyzed using author affiliations extracted from Scopus between 1970 and 2009. We have studied collaboration distribution networks at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels for the 40 years. We compared and analyzed a number of properties of these networks (i.e., density, centrality measures, the giant component and clustering coefficient) for presenting a longitudinal analysis and statistical validation of the evolutionary dynamics of “steel structures” collaboration networks. At all levels, the scientific collaborations network structures were central considering the closeness centralization while betweenness and degree centralization were much lower. In general networks density, connectedness, centralization and clustering coefficient were highest in marco-level and decreasing as the network size grow to the lowest in micro-level. We also find that the average distance between countries about two and institutes five and for authors eight meaning that only about eight steps are necessary to get from one randomly chosen author to another.

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Improving quality assessment of composite indicators in university rankings: a case study of French and German universities of excellence

Authors: M. Benito and R. Romera

Abstract

Composite indicators play an essential role for benchmarking higher education institutions. One of the main sources of uncertainty building composite indicators and, undoubtedly, the most debated problem in building composite indicators is the weighting schemes (assigning weights to the simple indicators or subindicators) together with the aggregation schemes (final composite indicator formula). Except the ideal situation where weights are provided by the theory, there clearly is a need for improving quality assessment of the final rank linked with a fixed vector of weights. We propose to use simulation techniques to generate random perturbations around any initial vector of weights to obtain robust and reliable ranks allowing to rank universities in a range bracket. The proposed methodology is general enough to be applied no matter the weighting scheme used for the composite indicator. The immediate benefit achieved is a reduction of the uncertainty associated with the assessment of a specific rank which is not representative of the real performance of the university, and an improvement of the quality assessment of composite indicators used to rank. To illustrate the proposed methodology we rank the French and the German universities involved in their respective 2008 Excellence Initiatives.

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On the demographical changes of U.S. research doctorate awardees and corresponding trends in research fields

Author: Chung-Souk Han

Abstract

The demographical data of the National Science Foundation on research doctorate awardees in the United States is studied in this article. While the overall growth rate of research doctorate awardees is approximately the same as the growth rate of the whole population in the U.S. there are considerable changes in the sub-populations of research doctorate awardees. The demographic data is evaluated/discussed in more detail with respect to gender and research fields of the doctorate awardees. In particular the notion of the primacy of technology over science in the postmodern era is examined and found to be justified.

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Efficiency of European public higher education institutions: a two-stage multicountry approach

Authors: Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz and Aleksandra Parteka

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine efficiency and its determinants in a set of higher education institutions (HEIs) from several European countries by means of non-parametric frontier techniques. Our analysis is based on a sample of 259 public HEIs from 7 European countries across the time period of 2001–2005. We conduct a two-stage DEA analysis (Simar and Wilson in J Economet 136:31–64, ), first evaluating DEA scores and then regressing them on potential covariates with the use of a bootstrapped truncated regression. Results indicate a considerable variability of efficiency scores within and between countries. Unit size (economies of scale), number and composition of faculties, sources of funding and gender staff composition are found to be among the crucial determinants of these units’ performance. Specifically, we found evidence that a higher share of funds from external sources and a higher number of women among academic staff improve the efficiency of the institution.

Open access

Tailor based allocations for multiple authorship: a fractional gh-index

Author: Serge Galam

Abstract

A quantitative modification to keep the number of published papers invariant under multiple authorship is suggested. In those cases, fractional allocations are attributed to each co-author with a summation equal to one. These allocations are tailored on the basis of each author contribution. It is denoted “Tailor Based Allocations (TBA)” for multiple authorship. Several protocols to TBA are suggested. The choice of a specific TBA may vary from one discipline to another. In addition, TBA is applied to the number of citations of a multiple author paper to have also this number conserved. Each author gets only a specific fraction of the total number of citations according to its fractional paper allocation. The equivalent of the h-index obtained by using TBA is denoted the gh-index. It yields values which differ drastically from those given by the h-index. The gh-index departs also from recently proposed by Hirsh to account for multiple authorship. Contrary to the h-index, the gh-index is a function of the total number of citations of each paper. A highly cited paper allows a better allocation for all co-authors while a less cited paper contributes essentially to one or two of the co-authors. The scheme produces a substantial redistribution of the ranking of scientists in terms of quantitative records. A few illustrations are provided.

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The growth of international collaboration in East European scholarly communities: a bibliometric analysis of journal articles published between 1989 and 2009

Authors: Daniel Teodorescu and Tudorel Andrei

Abstract

In the last two decades international collaboration in the Eastern European academic communities has strongly intensified. Scientists from developed countries within the European Union play a key role in stimulating the international collaboration of academics in this region. In addition, many of the research projects that engage East-European scholars are only possible in the framework of the large European programmes. The present study focuses on the role of EU and other developed nations as a partner of these countries and the analysis of the performance of collaborative research as reflected by the citation impact of internationally co-authored publications.

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Multi-modal social networks for modeling scientific fields

Authors: Georg Groh and Christoph Fuchs

Abstract

This paper analyzes whether methods from social network analysis can be adopted for the modeling of scientific fields in order to obtain a better understanding of the respective scientific area. The approach proposed is based on articles published within the respective scientific field and certain types of nodes deduced from these papers, such as authors, journals, conferences and organizations. As a proof of concept, the techniques discussed here are applied to the field of ‘Mobile Social Networking’. For this purpose, a tool was developed to create a large data collection representing the aforementioned field. The paper analyzes various views on the complete network and discusses these on the basis of the data collected on Mobile Social Networking. The authors demonstrate that the analysis of particular subgraphs derived from the data collection allows the identification of important authors as well as separate sub-disciplines such as classic network analysis and sensor networks and also contributes to the classification of the field of ‘Mobile Social Networking’ within the greater context of computer science, applied mathematics and social sciences. Based on these results, the authors propose a set of concrete services which could be offered by such a network and which could help the user to deal with the scientific information process. The paper concludes with an outlook upon further possible research topics.

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Network of the core: mapping and visualizing the core of scientific domains

Authors: Gohar Feroz Khan, Junghoon Moon and Han Woo Park

Abstract

In this article, we propose mapping and visualizing the core of scientific domains using social network analysis techniques derived from mathematical graph theory. In particular, the concept of Network of the Core is introduced which can be employed to visualize scientific domains by constructing a network among theoretical constructs, models, and concepts. A Network of the Core can be used to reveal hidden properties and structures of a research domain such as connectedness, centrality, density, structural equivalence, and cohesion, by modeling the casual relationship among theoretical constructs. Network of the Core concept can be used to explore the strengths and limitations of a research domain, and graphically and mathematically derive the number research hypotheses. The Network of the Core approach can be applied to any domain given that the investigator has a deep understanding of the area under consideration, a graphical or conceptual view (in the form of a network of association among the theoretical constructs and concepts) of the scientific domain can be obtained, and an underlying theory is available or can be constructed to support Network of the Core formation. Future research directions and several other issues related to the Network of the Core concept are also discussed.

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A bibliometric study of the trend in articles related to eutrophication published in Science Citation Index

Authors: Huang Yi and Wang Jie

Abstract

A keyword analysis was applied in this work to evaluate research trends of eutrophication papers published between 1991 and 2010 in any journal of all the subject categories of the Science Citation Index compiled by Institute for Scientific Information, Philadelphia, USA. Eutrophication was used as a keyword to search parts of titles, abstracts, or keywords. The published output analysis showed that eutrophication research steadily increased over the past 20 years and the annual publication output in 2008, 2009, 2010 were about four times that of 1991. The whole paper published by China ranked at 3rd, but these papers’ IF were lower than the average of the world. “Water Framework Directive” and “Life Cycle Assessment” were two of the most frequently used author keywords in the period between 1999 and 2010 whilst they did not appear before 1998. These new conception indicated eutrophication research trend was changing to policy and management from technological researches.

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The functional anatomy of science mapping

Katy Börner: Atlas of science: visualizing what we know. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA/London, UK, 2010, US$20 Author: Sándor Soós Restricted access Mapping of nanoscience and nanotechnology research in India: a scientometric analysis, 1990–2009 Authors: R. Karpagam, S. Gopalakrishnan, M. Natarajan and B. Ramesh Babu Abstract This paper analyses the growth pattern of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology literature in India during 1990–2009 (20 years). The Scopus international multidisciplinary bibliographical database has been used to identify the Indian contributions on the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The study measures the performance based on several parameters, country annual growth rate, authorship pattern, collaborative index, collaborative coefficient, modified collaborative coefficient, subject profile, etc. Further the study examines national publication output and impact in terms of average citations per paper, international collaboration output and share, contribution and impact of Indian Institutions and impact of Indian journals. Restricted access Mapping scientific institutions Authors: Sebastian Grauwin and Pablo Jensen Abstract We have developed a set of routines that allows to draw easily different maps of the research carried out in a scientific institution. Our toolkit uses OpenSource elements to analyze bibliometric data gathered from the Web Of Science. We take the example of our institution, ENS de Lyon, to show how different maps, using co-occurrence (of authors, keywords, institutions…) and bibliographic coupling can be built. These maps may become a valuable tool for discussing institutions’ policies, as they offer different views on the institution at a global scale. Restricted access Using Bayesian networks to discover relationships between bibliometric indices. A case study of computer science and artificial intelligence journals Authors: Alfonso Ibáñez, Pedro Larrañaga and Concha Bielza Abstract As they are used to evaluate the importance of research at different levels by funding agencies and promotion committees, bibliometric indices have received a lot of attention from the scientific community over the last few years. Many bibliometric indices have been developed in order to take into account aspects not previously covered. The result is that, nowadays, the scientific community faces the challenge of selecting which of this pool of indices meets the required quality standards. In view of the vast number of bibliometric indices, it is necessary to analyze how they relate to each other (irrelevant, dependent and so on). Our main purpose is to learn a Bayesian network model from data to analyze the relationships among bibliometric indices. The induced Bayesian network is then used to discover probabilistic conditional (in)dependencies among the indices and, also for probabilistic reasoning. We also run a case study of 14 well-known bibliometric indices on computer science and artificial intelligence journals. Restricted access Improving SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) subject classification through reference analysis Authors: Antonio J. Gómez-Núñez, Benjamín Vargas-Quesada, Félix de Moya-Anegón and Wolfgang Glänzel Abstract In order to re-categorize the SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) journals based on Scopus, as well as improve the SJR subject classification scheme, an iterative process built upon reference analysis of citing journals was designed. The first step entailed construction of a matrix containing citing journals and cited categories obtained through the aggregation of cited journals. Assuming that the most representative categories in each journal would be represented by the highest citation values regarding categories, the matrix vectors were reduced using a threshold to discern and discard the weakest relations. The process was refined on the basis of different parameters of a heuristic nature, including (1) the development of several tests applying different thresholds, (2) the designation of a cutoff, (3) the number of iterations to execute, and (4) a manual review operation of a certain amount of multi-categorized journals. Despite certain shortcomings related with journal classification, the method showed a solid performance in grouping journals at a level higher than categories—that is, aggregating journals into subject areas. It also enabled us to redesign the SJR classification scheme, providing for a more cohesive one that covers a good proportion of re-categorized journals. Restricted access Research output and economic productivity: a Granger causality test Authors: Ling-Chu Lee, Pin-Hua Lin, Yun-Wen Chuang and Yi-Yang Lee Abstract The correlation between GDP and research publications is an important issue in scientometrics. This article provides further empirical evidence connecting revealed comparative advantage in national research with effects on economic productivity. Using quantitative time series analysis, this study attempts to determine the nature of causal relationships between research output and economic productivity. One empirical result is that there is mutual causality between research and economic growth in Asia, whereas in Western countries the causality is much less clear. The results may be of use to underdeveloped nations deciding how to direct their academic investment and industry policy. Restricted access A characteristic property of elementary 2-groups of rank six Author: Sándor Szabó Consider a finite abelian group G which is a direct product of its subsets A and B both containing the identity element e. If the non-periodicity of A and B forces that neither A nor B can span the whole G, then G must be an elementary 2-group of rank six. Restricted access Diameters and best approximation of the classes B p,θ r of periodic functions of several variables Author: А. Романюк Резуме Получены точные по порядку оценки ортопроекционных и линейных поперечников классов B p,θ r периодических функций многих переменных в пространстве L q, 1 ≤ p, q, ≤ ∞. Установлен порядок наилучшего приближения в пространстве L классов B ∞,θ r периодических функций двух переменных тригонометрическими полиномами с «номерами» гармоник иэ гиперболического креста. Restricted access Fixed point results on complete G-metric spaces Authors: Zead Mustafa, Mona Khandagji and Wasfi Shatanawi In this paper several fixed point theorems for a class of mappings defined on a complete G-metric space are proved. In the same time we show that if the G-metric space (X, G) is symmetric then the existence and uniqueness of these fixed point results follows from the Hardy-Rogers theorem in the induced usual metric space (X, d G). We also prove fixed point results for mapping on a G-metric space (X, G) by using the Hardy-Rogers theorem where (X, G) need not be symmetric. Restricted access Hermite-Fejér interpolation with Jacobi weights Authors: G. Mastroianni and J. Szabados We consider the weighted Hermite-Fejér interpolation process based on Jacobi nodes for classes of locally continuous functions defined by another Jacobi weight. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the weighted norm boundedness and for the convergence, as well as error estimates of the approximation, are given. Restricted access Insertions of k-semi-stratifiable spaces by semi-continuous functions Authors: Kedian Li, Shou Lin and Rongxin Shen In this paper, we characterize k-semi-stratifiable spaces by semi-continuous functions and give some applications. Also we give the similar characterizations of MCM spaces and K-MCM spaces. Restricted access Matrix transformations on fields of absolute weighted mean summability Author: Mehmet Sarigöl In the present paper, we characterize the classes of all triangular matrices, \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage{bbm} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document}$(|\bar N_p |,|\bar N_q^\theta |_k )$\end{document} and \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage{bbm} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document}$(|\bar N_p^\theta |_k ,|\bar N_q |)$\end{document} for the case k ≧ 1, where \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \usepackage{bbm} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document}$|\bar N_p^\theta |_k = \left\{ {a = (a_n ):\sum\limits_{n = 1}^\infty {\theta _n^{k - 1} } \left| {\frac{{p_n }}{{p_n p_{n - 1} }}\sum\limits_{v = 1}^n {P_{v - 1} a_v } } \right|^k < \infty } \right\},$\end{document} i.e., the set of series summable by absolute weighted mean summability method, and so extend the some well known results. Restricted access On convergence sets of conditionally convergent series Author: Balázs Gerencsér For a given convergent series we consider the set of permutations of ℤ+ which leave the series convergent. This is called the convergence set of the series. We characterize these sets, describe the relationship of convergence sets of different series, and investigate the possibility of reconstructing the series given its convergence set. In particular, we give a surprising extension of a result of Agnew, [2]: we show that the permutations preserving the summability of all conditionally convergent series also preserve their sums, see Theorem 3.2. We also prove in Theorem 3.7 that the convergence sets of two conditionally convergent series are either equal or not comparable when ordered by set inclusion. Restricted access Topological monoids of monotone injective partial selfmaps of ℕ with cofinite domain and image Authors: Oleg Gutik and Dušan Repovš In this paper we study the semigroup ℐ (ℕ) of partial cofinal monotone bijective transformations of the set of positive integers ℕ. We show that the semigroup ℐ (ℕ) has algebraic properties similar to the bicyclic semigroup: it is bisimple and all of its non-trivial group homomorphisms are either isomorphisms or group homomorphisms. We also prove that every locally compact topology τ on ℐ (ℕ) such that (ℐ (ℕ); τ) is a topological inverse semigroup, is discrete. Finally, we describe the closure of (ℐ (ℕ); τ) in a topological semigroup. Restricted access Upper classes of the bifractional Brownian motion Authors: Charles El-Nouty and Jean-Lin Journé Let {B H,K(t); t ≧ 0} be a bifractional Brownian motion with indices 0 < H < 1 and 0 < K ≦ 1. We characterize the upper classes of some increments of B H,K by an integral test. Restricted access Об A-инвариантных средних и A-почти сходимости Author: M. Mursaleen Abstract The idea of A-invariant mean and A-almost convergence is due to J. P. Duran [8], which is a generalization of the usual notion of Banach limit and almost convergence. In this paper, we discuss some important properties of this method and prove that the space F(A) of A-almost convergent sequences is a BK space with ‖ · ‖, and also show that it is a nonseparable closed subspace of the space l of bounded sequences. Restricted access Обобщение одного неравенства Теляковского Author: L. Leindler Abstract Two classes of numerical sequences are defined by means certain properties of the differences of terms of positive sequences, and their relationship to some newly defined classes and the well-known Sidon-Telyakovskiĭ class is analyzed. It is also verified that if a sequence belongs to the newly defined wider class, then with this sequence in place of the sequence {1/k} an essential inequality established by Telyakovskiĭ can be generalized notably. This new result and the previous generalizations of the original Telyakovskiĭ’s theorem are incomparable. Restricted access Оценки наилучших приближений в интегральных метриках и коэффициенты Фурье по мультипликативным системам Authors: S. Volosivets and R. Fadeev Abstract We obtain estimates of approximations by angle in Hardy and L p spaces in terms of double Fourier-Vilenkin coefficients. Analogous results are also established for best approximations in the one-dimensional case. Restricted access The single publication H-index of papers in the Hirsch-core of a researcher and the indirect H-index Author: L. Egghe Abstract The single publication H-index of Schubert is applied to the papers in the Hirsch-core of a researcher, journal or topic. Four practical examples are given and regularities are explained: the regression line of the single publication H-index of the ranked papers in the Hirsch-core is decreasing. We propose two measures of indirect citation impact: the average of the single publication H-indices of the papers in the Hirsch-core and the H-index of these single publication H-indices, defined as the indirect H-index. Formulae for these indirect citation impact measures are given in the Lotkaian context. Restricted access Triadic citations, country biases and patent value: the case of pharmaceuticals Author: George Messinis Abstract Triadic patents minimise home bias effects in studies that focus on patent counts as a measure of innovative activity. Yet, biases in qualitative patent indicators have been largely neglected. This article advocates that forward patent citations, and triadic citations in particular, can illuminate further on home bias, self citations, and the speed of knowledge flows for drug patents published by the USPTO for the period 1980–2008. The evidence shows that triadic citations help to minimize the home bias in citations as well as to make patent quality more transparent. Also, it indicates that self citations and the age distribution of citations are important factors to consider when explaining cross-country differences in pharmaceutical citations. Restricted access Behind citing-side normalization of citations: some properties of the journal impact factor Author: M. Zitt Abstract A new family of citation normalization methods appeared recently, in addition to the classical methods of “cited-side” normalization and the iterative measures of intellectual influence in the wake of Pinski and Narin influence weights. These methods have a quite global scope in citation analysis but were first applied to the journal impact, in the experimental Audience Factor (AF) and the Scopus Source-Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP). Analyzing some properties of the Garfield's Journal Impact Factor, this note highlights the rationale of citing-side (or source-level, fractional citation, ex ante) normalization. Restricted access Brazilian scientific production, financial support, established investigators and doctoral graduates Authors: André Frazão Helene and Pedro Leite Ribeiro Abstract In the near future, Brazil is expected to face a number of challenges with regards to economic and social development, and scientific production is a critical aspect of this development process. Over the past 30 years, there has been an almost 18-fold increase in the number of brazilian papers published, up from about 2,000 in 1980 to more than 35,000 in 2009. In this study we analyze the evolution of scientific production in terms of input (resources and permanent investigators) and output (scientific papers and doctorate graduates). We evaluate whether structural investments and the number of investigators at universities are both able to explain the increase in the number of papers, by investigating the relationships among growth rates in investments and the quantity of the papers published, as well as the number of doctorate graduates and active permanent investigators. As an indication of the fluctuations in investments pertaining to academic research, we consider the budget history of the largest Brazilian federal agencies charged with providing academic grants. We observe that the burgeoning number of papers has occurred independently of investments and the number of established investigators, thus suggesting an increase in the efficiency of Brazilian scientific output. Moreover, this increase in efficiency has occurred in conjunction with an increased number of Doctoral graduates per year. In this context, we propose that an evaluation of the academic structure is necessary in order to ascertain the risks of this increased “efficiency”. Moreover, the recent cut of over US$ 1 billion announced by the Brazilian government may jeopardize the quality of scientific output in the future.

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An impact indicator for researchers

Authors: Elizabeth S. Vieira and José A. N. F. Gomes

Abstract

The assessment of individual researchers using bibliometric indicators is more complex than that of a region, country or university. For large scientific bodies, averages over a large number of researchers and their outputs is generally believed to give indication of the quality of the research work. For an individual, the detailed peer evaluation of his research outputs is required and, even this, may fail in the short term to make a final, long term assessment of the relevance and originality of the work. Scientometrics assessment at individual level is not an easy task not only due to the smaller number of publications that are being evaluated, but other factors can influence significantly the bibliometric indicators applied. Citation practices vary widely among disciplines and sub disciplines and this may justify the lack of good bibliometric indicators at individual level. The main goal of this study was to develop an indicator that considers in its calculation some of the aspects that we must take into account on the assessment of scientific performance at individual level. The indicator developed, the h nf index, considers the different cultures of citation of each field and the number of authors per publication. The results showed that the h nf index can be used on the assessment of scientific performance of individual researchers and for following the performance of a researcher.

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The determinants of research collaboration modes: exploring the effects of research and researcher characteristics on co-authorship

Authors: Seongkyoon Jeong, Jae Young Choi and Jaeyun Kim

Abstract

Given the high priority accorded to research collaboration on the assumption that it yields higher productivity and impact rates than do non-collaborative results, research collaboration modes are assessed for their benefits and costs before being executed. Researchers are accountable for selecting their collaboration modes, a decision made through strategic decision making influenced by their environments and the trade-offs among alternatives. In this context, by using bibliographic information and related internal data from the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM, a representative Korean government institute of mechanical research), this paper examines the suggested yet unproven determinants of research collaboration modes that the SCI data set cannot reveal through a Multinomial Probit Model. The results indicate that informal communication, cultural proximity, academic excellence, external fund inspiration, and technology development levels play significant roles in the determination of specific collaboration modes, such as sole research, internal collaboration, domestic collaboration, and international collaboration. This paper refines collaboration mode studies by describing the actual collaboration phenomenon as it occurs in research institutes and the motivations prompting research collaboration, allowing research mangers to encourage researchers to collaborate in an appropriate decision-making context.

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Does the h index for assessing single publications really work? A case study on papers published in chemistry

Authors: Lutz Bornmann, Hermann Schier, Werner Marx and Hans-Dieter Daniel

Abstract

Schubert (Scientometrics, 78:559–565, ) showed that “a Hirsch-type index can be used for assessing single highly cited publications by calculating the h index of the set of papers citing the work in question” (p. 559). To demonstrate that this single publication h index is a useful yardstick to compare the quality of different publications; the index should be strongly related to the assessment by peers. In a comprehensive research project we investigated the peer review process of the Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The data set contains manuscripts reviewed in the year 2000 and accepted by the journal or rejected but published elsewhere. Single publication h index values were calculated for a total of 1,814 manuscripts. The results show a correlation in the expected direction between peer assessments and single publication h index values: After publication, manuscripts with positive ratings by the journal's reviewers show on average higher h index values than manuscripts with negative ratings by reviewers (and later published elsewhere). However, our findings do not support Schubert's () assumption that the additional dimension of indirect citation influence contributes to a more refined picture of the most cited papers.

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Research groups of oncology co-authorship network in China

Authors: Qi Yu, Hongfang Shao and Zhiguang Duan

Abstract

This paper aims at analyzing and extracting the research groups from the co-authorship network of oncology in China. By use of centrality, component analysis, K-Core, M-Slice, Hierarchical Clustering analysis, and Multidimensional Scaling analysis, we studied the data from 10 Core Chinese Oncology journals between 2000 and 2009, analyzed the structure character of the Chinese Oncology research institutes. This study advances the methods for selecting the most prolific research groups and individuals in Chinese Oncology research community, and provides basis for more productive cooperation in the future. This study also provides scientific evidences and suggestions for policymakers to establish a more efficient system for managing and financing Chinese Oncology research in the future.

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Agent-based computing from multi-agent systems to agent-based models: a visual survey

Authors: Muaz Niazi and Amir Hussain

Abstract

Agent-based computing is a diverse research domain concerned with the building of intelligent software based on the concept of “agents”. In this paper, we use Scientometric analysis to analyze all sub-domains of agent-based computing. Our data consists of 1,064 journal articles indexed in the ISI web of knowledge published during a 20 year period: 1990–2010. These were retrieved using a topic search with various keywords commonly used in sub-domains of agent-based computing. In our proposed approach, we have employed a combination of two applications for analysis, namely Network Workbench and CiteSpace—wherein Network Workbench allowed for the analysis of complex network aspects of the domain, detailed visualization-based analysis of the bibliographic data was performed using CiteSpace. Our results include the identification of the largest cluster based on keywords, the timeline of publication of index terms, the core journals and key subject categories. We also identify the core authors, top countries of origin of the manuscripts along with core research institutes. Finally, our results have interestingly revealed the strong presence of agent-based computing in a number of non-computing related scientific domains including Life Sciences, Ecological Sciences and Social Sciences.

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Citation pattern and lifespan: a comparison of discipline, institution, and individual

Authors: Jacob B. Slyder, Beth R. Stein, Brent S. Sams, David M. Walker, B. Jacob Beale, Jeffrey J. Feldhaus and Carolyn A. Copenheaver

Abstract

Citation frequency is often used in hiring and tenure decisions as an indicator of the quality of a researcher's publications. In this paper, we examine the influence of discipline, institution, journal impact factor, length of article, number of authors, seniority of author, and gender on citation rate of top-cited papers for academic faculty in geography and forestry departments. Self-citation practices and patterns of citation frequency across post-publication lifespan were also examined. Citation rates of the most-highly cited paper for all tenured forestry (N = 122) and geography (N = 91) faculty at Auburn University, Michigan State University, Northern Arizona University, Oklahoma State University, Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, University of Florida, University of Massachusetts, University of Washington, and Virginia Tech were compared. Foresters received significantly more citations than geographers (t = 2.46, P = 0.02) and more senior authors received more citations than junior researchers (r 2 = 0.14, P = 0.03). Articles published in journals with higher impact factors also received more citations (r 2 = 0.28, P = 0.00). The median self-citation rate was 10% and there was no temporal pattern to the frequency of citations received by an individual article (x 2 = 176). Our results stress the importance of only comparing citation rates within a given discipline and confirm the importance of author-seniority and journal rankings as factors that influence citation rate of a given article.

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A general LIL for B-valued geometrically weighted series under dependent assumption

Author: Ke-Ang Fu

Abstract

Let {X,X n; n≧0} be a sequence of identically distributed ψ-mixing dependent random variables taking values in a type 2 Banach space B with topological dual B . Considering the geometrically weighted series for 0<β<1, a general law of the iterated logarithm for ξ(β) is obtained without second moment.

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The inclusion-exclusion principle for IF-events

Authors: Jana Kelemenová and Karol Samuelčík

Abstract

The inclusion-exclusion principle is one of the basic theorems in combinatorics. In this paper the inclusion-exclusion principle for IF-sets on generalized probability measures is studied. The basic theorems are proved.

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The journal relative impact: an indicator for journal assessment

Authors: Elizabeth S. Vieira and José A. N. F. Gomes

Abstract

This paper presents the journal relative impact (JRI), an indicator for scientific evaluation of journals. The JRI considers in its calculation the different culture of citations presented by the Web of Science subject categories. The JRI is calculated considering a variable citation window. This citation window is defined taking into account the time required by each subject category for the maturation of citations. The type of document considered in each subject category depends on its outputs in relation to the citations. The scientific performance of each journal in relation to each subject category that it belongs to is considered allowing the comparison of the scientific performance of journals from different fields. The results obtained show that the JRI can be used for the assessment of the scientific performance of a given journal and that the SJR and SNIP should be used to complement the information provided by the JRI. The JRI presents good features as stability over time and predictability.

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On extremally disconnected generalized topologies

Author: Ratna Dev Sarma

Abstract

Extremal disconnectedness is further investigated for generalized topological spaces. It is found that extremally disconnected generalized topological spaces are a rich source of generalized lower semi-continuous and generalized upper semi-continuous mappings.

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On general divisor problems involving Hecke eigenvalues

Author: Guangshi Lü

Abstract

We study two general divisor problems related to Hecke eigenvalues of classical holomorphic cusp forms, which have been considered by Fomenko, and by Kanemitsu, Sankaranarayanan and Tanigawa respectively. We improve previous results.

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On the transitivity of multifunctions and density of orbits in generalized topological spaces

Authors: Anna Loranty and Ryszard J. Pawlak

Abstract

The connection between transitivity and existence of a dense orbit for multifunctions in generalized topological spaces is studied. Moreover strongly transitive multifunctions and functions in generalized topological spaces are investigated.

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On weak structures due to Császár

Author: Erdal Ekici

Abstract

In [4], Császár has introduced the notions of weak structures and the structures α(w), π(w), σ(w), β(w). The main aim of this paper is to introduce and study properties of the structures r(w), α(w), π(w), σ(w) and β(w).

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Polynomial inequalities and embedding theorems with exponential weights on (−1,1)

Author: I. Notarangelo

Abstract

Letting 0<p≦∞, we prove Remez-, Bernstein–Markoff-, Schur- and Nikolskii-type inequalities for algebraic polynomials with exponential weights on (−1,1) multiplied by another weight function, which will satisfy the doubling or the A condition at different occurrences. Moreover, we state embedding theorems between some function spaces related with exponential weights.

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Re-examine the relationship between patents and Tobin's q

Authors: Yu-Shan Chen and Chun-Yu Shih

Abstract

Since the relationship between patents and Tobin's q is confusing, this paper utilizes panel threshold regression model to re-examine the relationship between patent counts/sales and Tobin's q. This study finds out patent citations/sales has a single threshold effect on the relationship between patent counts/sales and Tobin's q in the US pharmaceutical industry. The single threshold value of patent citations/sales is 328.81, and it divides the value of patent citations/sales into two regimes: the first regime (patent citations/sale ≦ 328.81) and the second regime (patent citations/sale > 328.81). The results indicate that patent counts/sales positively affect Tobin's q in the two regimes. In addition, this study demonstrates that the extent of the positive effect of patent counts/sales on Tobin's q is different. This study verifies that patent citations/sales moderates the relationship between patent counts/sales and Tobin's q. Once patent citations/sales is below the threshold value, the extent of the positive relationship between patent counts/sales and Tobin's q is the most. Therefore, this study finds out that the first regime is optimal.

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The sphere problem and the L-functions

Authors: Fernando Chamizo and Elena Cristóbal

Abstract

We improve the upper bound for the lattice point discrepancy of large spheres under conjectural properties of the real L-functions. In connection with this we give some new unconditional estimates for exponential and character sums of independent interest.

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T ∗ T always has a positive selfadjoint extension

Authors: Zoltán Sebestyén and Zsigmond Tarcsay

Abstract

T T is selfadjoint if T is a densely defined closed Hilbert space operator. This result of von Neumann can be generalized for not necessarily closed operators: T T always admits a positive selfadjoint extension. The Friedrichs extension also will be obtained whenever T T is assumed to be densely defined. Selfadjointness of T T will be investigated. Densely defined positive operators and their Friedrichs extension A and A F, respectively, will be described by showing the existence of a closable operator T such that A=T T and at the same time A F=T T ∗∗.

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A unified theory of contra-(μ,λ)-continuous functions in generalized topological spaces

Authors: Ahmad Al-Omari and Takashi Noiri

Abstract

We introduce a new notion called contra-(μ,λ)-continuous functions as functions on generalized topological spaces [8]. We obtain some characterizations and several properties of such functions. The functions enable us to formulate a unified theory of several modifications of contra-continuity due to Dontchev [18].

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Unique infinite expansions in noninteger bases

Author: Vilmos Komornik

Abstract

Contrary to the classical situation, in noninteger bases almost all numbers have a continuum of distinct expansions. However, the set of numbers having a unique expansions also has a rich topological and combinatorial structure. We clarify the connection of this set with the sets of numbers having a unique infinite or doubly infinite expansion.

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Yuri Ivanovich Manin

Author: András Némethi
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A bibliometric analysis and comparison on three information science journals: JASIST, IPM, JOD, 1998–2008

Author: Ming-yueh Tsay

Abstract

Employing a citation analysis, this study explored and compared the bibliometric characteristics and the subject relationship with other disciplines of and among the three leading information science journals, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST), Information Processing and Management and Journal of Documentation. The citation data were drawn from references of each article of the three journals during 1998 and 2008. The Ulrich's Periodical Directory, Library of Congress Subject Heading, retrieved from the WorldCat, and LISA database were used to identify the main class, subclass and subject of cited journals and books. Quantitative results on the number of JASIST, IPM and JOD literature references, average number of references cited per paper, document type of cited literature and the journal self-citation rate are reported. Moreover, the highly cited journals and books, the main classes and subclasses of cited journals and books in papers of the three journals, the highly cited subjects in journals and books of library and information science were identified and analyzed. Comparison on the characteristics of cited journals and books confirmed that all the three journals under study are information science oriented, except JOD which is library science orientation. JASIST and IPM are very much in common and diffuse to other disciplines more deeply than JOD.

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Selected contributions, resulting from presentations at the workshop “Modeling Science-Understanding, Forecasting and Communicating the Science System,” held in Amsterdam, October 6–9, 2009

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Using author co-citation analysis to examine the intellectual structure of e-learning: A MIS perspective

Authors: Liang-Chu Chen and Yen-Hsuan Lien

Abstract

The increased use of e-learning techniques as an accepted form of teaching has resulted in a growing volume of academic research dedicated to their assessment. Despite the importance of the technique, there is little comprehensive knowledge on e-learning, especially in non-educational fields. Author co-citation analysis (ACA) is an analytical method for identifying the intellectual structure of specific knowledge domains through the relationship between two similar authors. ACA has been applied to many fields, such as information retrieval, knowledge management, and strategic management; however, it has not yet been used to analyze e-learning development. This study examines the intellectual structure of e-learning from the perspective of management information systems (MIS). By applying the ACA method, we analyze and categorize international and Taiwanese research topics into clusters. Our results show that Taiwanese authors put more effort into practical studies of business training, while international authors focus on a users’ psychological reaction to learning context. Altogether, our research provides a clear intellectual analysis of e-learning practices from 1996 to 2009, enabling us to thoroughly study and understand the influence of these techniques on modern education.

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International temporary mobility of researchers: a cross-discipline study

Authors: Carolina Cañibano, F. Javier Otamendi and Francisco Solís

Abstract

The increasing literature addressing international mobility of researchers has repeatedly pointed out the lack of empirical data compiled over the last two decades, jeopardizing progress in the understanding of the characteristics and impacts of such human flows. This paper makes a contribution to the field by exploring the extent to which information obtained from researchers’ electronic curriculum vitae (CV) may be used to study temporary geographical mobility. We exploit a new type of data set—a comprehensive database of electronic CVs—developing a broad set of cross-discipline mobility indicators to assess the dimensions and characteristics of international research visits among a population of over 10,000 researchers. The sample population is made up of PhD holders working in the regional research system of Andalusia, Spain. Information regarding their international research visits over the last four decades is downloaded from CVs contained in the electronic scientific information system of the region. We assess mobility rates and the characteristics of the temporary mobile population. The analysis of visiting patterns shows significant differences in mobility profiles in terms of frequency, duration and destination of visits, across disciplines, career stages and time periods. The study also shows how different definitions of international mobility lead to substantial variations in cross-discipline mobility rates.

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The influence of effects and phenomena on citations: a comparative analysis of four citation perspectives

Authors: Qiang Wu and Dietmar Wolfram

Abstract

This article defines different perspectives for citations and introduces four concepts: Self-expected Citations, Received Citations, Expected Citations, and Deserved Citations. When comparing permutations of these four classes of perspectives, there are up to 145 kinds of equality/inequality relations. From these numerous relations, we analyze the difference between the Matthew Effect and the Matthew Phenomenon. We provide a precise definition and point out that many previous empirical research studies on the Matthew Effect based on citations belong primarily to the Matthew Phenomenon, and not the true meaning of the Matthew Effect. Due to the difficulty in determining the Deserved Citations, the Matthew Effect is in itself difficult to measure, although it is commonly believed to influence citation counts. Furthermore, from the theoretical facts, we outline four new effects/phenomena: the Self-confidence Effect/Phenomenon, the Narcissus Effect/Phenomenon, the Other-confidence Effect/Phenomenon, and the Flattery Effect/Phenomenon, and we discuss additional influencing factors.

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Assessing the value of patent portfolios: an international country comparison

Author: Torben Schubert

Abstract

Patent counts have been extensionally used to measure the innovative capacities of countries. However, since economic values of patents may differ, simple patent counts may give misleading rankings, if the patents of one country are on average more valuable than those of another. In the literature several methods have been proposed, which shall adjust for these differences. However, often these do not possess a solid economic micro-foundation and therefore are often ad-hoc and arbitrary procedures. In this paper, we intend to present an adjustment method that is based on the analysis of renewal decisions. The method builds on the theoretical model used in Schankerman and Pakes () and Besson (2008) but goes beyond both approaches in that it recovers the important long tail of the value distribution. It also transfers Besson's (2008) econometric methodology (applicable to the organisational structures of the US Patent and Trademark Office) also to the European Patent Office which is necessary, since each application here may split up into several national patent documents. The analysis is performed for 22 countries. Exemplarily, we find that in the cohort of 1986 patent applications, Danish patents are about 60% more valuable than the average patent. German patents are a bit below average. Japanese patents are of least value. In the cohort of 1996, Danish patents lose some of their lead but are still more valuable than the average. While German are a bit above average, Japanese patents even fall further behind (possibly due to the economic downturn in since the mid of 1990ies).

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Central indexes to the citation distribution: a complement to the h-index

Authors: Pablo Dorta-González and María-Isabel Dorta-González

Abstract

The citation distribution of a researcher shows the impact of their production and determines the success of their scientific career. However, its application in scientific evaluation is difficult due to the bi-dimensional character of the distribution. Some bibliometric indexes that try to synthesize in a numerical value the principal characteristics of this distribution have been proposed recently. In contrast with other bibliometric measures, the biases that the distribution tails provoke, are reduced by the h-index. However, some limitations in the discrimination among researchers with different publication habits are presented in this index. This index penalizes selective researchers, distinguished by the large number of citations received, as compared to large producers. In this work, two original sets of indexes, the central area indexes and the central interval indexes, that complement the h-index to include the central shape of the citation distribution, are proposed and compared.