Bibliometrics

Bibliometrics is a set of quantitative methods used to analyse publications, most often scientific publications. Examples of areas to study with bibliometrical methods are:

• Connections between research areas
• Collaboration patterns
• Scientific impact
• Scientific production and productivity

Bibliometrics and reseach funding

The interest in bibliometrics has increased lately; one of the reasons is the recent political ambition to establish resource allocation mechanisms that promotes strong research fields.

In 2008 the Swedish Government presented a government bill on what a new resource allocation model should look like (Ett lyft för forskning och innovation, prop. 2008/09:50). The bill was accepted at the end of January 2009 and the Swedish Research Council was then commissioned to provide data for calculating an indicator of scientific production and citation. This has been done by the Council and a proposal for a bibliometric indicator was presented in the report Bibliometrisk indikator som underlag för medelsfördelning.

Application of bibliometric methods

Bibliometric methods can be very helpful during your research work, or when it is time for publication of the research results.

Some examples on applications:

• Get assistance in the selection of journal for publication of a manuscript in subject X.
• Find out which journals/scientists that is most productive within topic Z.
• Describe how research field Y is structured, and what other research fields it is related to.
• Describe how scientists collaborate within and across subject boundaries.
• Locate a subject area most cited journals/authors/publications.

When interpreting the results obtained in a bibliometric study, it is important that this is done in collaboration with persons who are familiar within the studied research area.

For more information – please contact Katharina Nordling.