Abstract
The purpose of this research paper is to analyze and compare the various research metrics and online databases used to evaluate the impact and quality of scientific publications. The study focuses on the most widely used research metrics, such as the h-index, the Impact Factor (IF), and the number of citations. Additionally, the paper explores various online databases, such as Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, that are utilized to access and analyze research metrics. The study found that the h-index and IF are the most commonly used metrics for evaluating the impact of a publication. However, it was also found that these metrics have limitations and cannot be used as the sole criteria for evaluating the quality of research. The study also highlights the need for a comprehensive and holistic approach to research evaluation that takes into account multiple factors such as collaboration, interdisciplinary work, and societal impact. The analysis of online databases showed that while Web of Science and Scopus are considered to be the most reliable sources of research metrics, they may not cover all relevant publications, particularly those in less well-established or interdisciplinary fields. Google Scholar, on the other hand, is more inclusive but may not have the same level of accuracy and reliability as the other databases.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Hirsch, J.E.: An index to quantify an individual’s scientific research output. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102(46), 16569–16572 (2005)
Batista, P.D., Campiteli, M.G., Kinouchi, O.: Is it possible to compare researchers with different scientific interests? An analysis of the h-index. Scientometrics 68(3), 179–189 (2006)
Egghe, L.: Theory and practise of the g-index. Scientometrics 69(1), 131–152 (2006)
Radicchi, F., Fortunato, S., Castellano, C.: Universality of citation distributions: toward an objective measure of scientific impact. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105(45), 17268–17272 (2008)
Leydesdorff, L.: Mapping the global development of science by means of publication indicators: a study of Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index. J. Am. Soc. Inf. Sci. Technol. 61(7), 1386–1403 (2010)
Scopus (n.d.). https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus
Web of Science (n.d.). https://clarivate.com/webofsciencegroup/
Google Scholar (n.d.). https://scholar.google.com/
Mendeley (n.d.). https://www.mendeley.com/
arXiv (n.d.). https://arxiv.org/
Bollen, J., Van de Sompel, H., Hagberg, A., Chute, R.: A principal component analysis of 39 scientific impact measures. PLoS ONE 4(6), e6022 (2009)
Bornmann, L., Leydesdorff, L.: What do citation counts measure? A review of studies on citing behavior. J. Document. 64(1), 45–80 (2008)
Garfield, E.: Citation analysis as a tool in journal evaluation. Science 214(4520), 671–681 (1979)
Hirsch, J.E.: Does the Hirsch index have predictive power? arXiv preprint arXiv:0707.3168 (2007)
Garfield, E.: Citation Indexing: Its Theory and Application in Science, Technology, and Humanities. Wiley, New York (1995)
Ioannidis, J.P.: Why most published research findings are false. PLoS Med. 2(8), e124 (2005)
Radicchi, F., Fortunato, S., Castellano, C.: Diffusion of scientific credits and the ranking of scientists. Phys. Rev. E 80(5), 056103 (2009)
Schreiber, M., Glassey, J.: A critical examination of the h-index in comparison with traditional indices and with peer judgement. Scientometrics 71(2), 317–331 (2007)
Van Raan, A.F.J.: Comparison of the Hirsch-index with standard bibliometric indicators and with peer judgment for 147 chemistry research groups. J. Am. Soc. Inform. Sci. Technol. 57(8), 1060–1071 (2006)
Waltman, L., van Eck, N.J.: A comparative study of four citation-based indices for ranking journals. J. Inform. 4(2), 146–157 (2010)
Acknowledgements
Authors are grateful to Punjabi University, Patiala for providing adequate library and internet facility.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Ukidve, S., Yadav, R., Manshahia, M.S., Randhawa, J. (2023). Evaluating Research Impact: A Comprehensive Overview of Metrics and Online Databases. In: Vasant, P., et al. Intelligent Computing and Optimization. ICO 2023. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 855. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50158-6_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50158-6_24
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-50157-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-50158-6
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)