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Measuring research performance in the humanities

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Abstract

The article starts from the specific difficulties of applying quantitative analysis to the humanities and the general resistance to such analysis in the Federal Republic of Germany. It gives a survey of the attempts to apply bibliometric methods in English Studies, the only subject investigated so far. The highly individual nature of research in the humanities is stressed and differences in subfields are illustrated. There is little influence of departmental size or age on the publication behaviour of individuals. More studies of citation behaviour are needed for a reliable evaluation of the impact of research in the humanities.

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Notes and references

  1. The history of History has been analyzed in the dissertation ofW. Weber,Priester der Klio. Historisch-sozialwissenschaftliche Studien zu Herkunft und Karriere deutscher Historiker und zur geschichte der Geschichtswissenschaft 1800–1970, Second edition, Peter Lang, Frankfurt, 1987.

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  2. For English Studies seeTh. Finkenstaedt,Kleine Geschichte der Anglistik in Deutschland. Eine Einführung, Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, 1983.

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  3. T. S. Kuhn,The structure of scientific revolutions, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1962.

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  4. English Studies is now the usual name; Anglistics is frequently used for English Studies on the Continent. The subject has its roots in nineteenth century philology. Its subfields are now Linguistics and Literary Studies; in many universities the latter are subdivided into English, American, Canadian etc. (literary) Studies.

  5. Th. Finkenstaedt, 1983.op. cit., note 2. table 8.

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  6. Th. Finkenstaedt (Ed.),Informationen, Englische Philologie, University of Augsburg, No. 40.

  7. Data for all the English departments have been published biannually inTh. Finkenstaedt (Ed.),Informationen, Englische Philologie, Op. cit., note 6.Informationen, Englische Philologie, University of Augsburg, No. 40. The latest issue is No. 48 for the winterterm 1989.

  8. For bibliographical detailscf. Th. Finkenstaedt, M. Fries, Forschungsmessung in der Anglistik. Eine Längsschnittuntersuchung, in:H.-D. Daniel, R. Fisch (Eds.),Evaluation von Forschung, Universitätsverlag Konstanz, Konstanz 1988, 151–176.

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  9. Th. Finkenstaedt, M. Fries, Zur Forschungsmessung in den Geisteswissenschaften. Das Beispiel Anglistik,ad acta, (1978), 110–164.

  10. Th. Finkenstaedt (Ed.),Anglistenspiegel, University of Augsburg, 1976 (=Augsburger I & I-Schriften, vol. 1).

  11. H.-D. Daniel, R. Fisch, Forschungsproduktivität: Indikatoren, statistische Verteilung, Gesetzmä\igkeiten, in:R. Fisch, H.-D. Daniel (Eds.),Messung und Förderung von Forschungsleistung, Universitätsverlag Konstanz, Konstanz, 1986, 161.

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  12. A. J. Lotka, The frequency distribution of scientific productivity,Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 16 (1926), 317–323.

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  13. For details seeTh. Finkenstaedt, M. Fries,Op. cit., note 10; Zur Forschungsmessung in den Geisteswissenschaften. Das Beispiel Anglistik,ad acta, (1978), 110–164; a rough measure of “bibliographic centimeters per year” was used.

  14. Lists of dissertations in progress are published inTh. Finkenstaedt (Ed.),Informationen, Englische Philologie, Op. cit., note 6.Informationen, Englische Philologie, University of Augsburg, No. 40.

  15. Statistical surveys are included inTh. Finkenstaedt, Kleine Geschichte der AnglistikOp. cit., note 2. tables 13–16

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  16. See tables 17–23 inTh. Finkenstaedt, Kleine Geschichte der AnglistikOp. cit., note 2, presenting a content analysis of university calenders, and of the major periodicals from 1900 to 1970.

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  17. SeeTh. Finkenstaedt, R. Stoll (Eds.),Neuer Anglistenspiegel. Ergänzungsband, University of Augsburg, 1989 (=Augsburger I & I-Schriften, vol. 45).

  18. A. Conze,Zitatenindizes in der Anglistik, unpublished M.A.-thesis, University of Cologne, 1988. The study gives a limited picture only.

  19. A much more sophisticated way of measuring impact in the humanities through a study of journals isR. A. Zwaan, A. J. Nederhof,Performance Indicators in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, Research Report (SSU-88-06) for the Netherlands Advisory Council for Science Policy (RAWB), February 1989.

  20. Citations in the field of Didactics have been studied byH. Heuer, Zitationsanalyse als Aspekt der Zeitschriftenforschung in der englischen Fachdidaktik: Leitautoren und Konzepte im Publikationsdiskurs, inFestschrift P. W. Kahl, Cornelsen-Verlag, Berlin, 1989, 143–161.

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  21. On the other hand I find myHabilitationsschrift quoted by people who cannot read German.

  22. SeeA. Reich, Eine Rangfolge für die deutschen Universitäten,Wissenschaftsrecht, Wissenschaftsverwaltung, Wissenschaftsförderung, 22 (1989) No. 2, 122–137.

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  1. Lehrstuhl für englische Sprachwissenschaft, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstraße 10, D-8900, Augsburg, FRG

    T. Finkenstaedt

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Finkenstaedt, T. Measuring research performance in the humanities. Scientometrics 19, 409–417 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02020703

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