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The application of citation-based performance classes to the disciplinary and multidisciplinary assessment in national comparison and institutional research assessment

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Abstract

The analysis of the high end of citation distributions represented by its tail provides important supplementary information on the citation profile of the unit under study. In a previous study by Glänzel (Scientometrics 97:13–23, 2013a), a parameter-free solution providing four performance classes has been proposed. Unlike in methods based on pre-set percentiles, this method is not sensitive to ties and ensures needless integration of measures of outstanding and even extreme performance into the standard tools of scientometric performance assessment. The applicability of the proposed method is demonstrated for both subject analysis and the combination of different subjects at the macro and meso level.

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Acknowledgments

The present study is an extended version of a article presented at the 14th International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics, Vienna (Austria), 15–19 July 2013 (Glänzel 2013). It also includes results presented at the 18th International Conference on Science and Technology Indicators, held in Berlin, 4–6 September 2013 (Glänzel et al. 2013).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for R&D Monitoring (ECOOM) and Department of MSI, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Wolfgang Glänzel, Bart Thijs & Koenraad Debackere

  2. Department of Science Policy & Scientometrics, Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Wolfgang Glänzel

Authors
  1. Wolfgang Glänzel
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  2. Bart Thijs
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  3. Koenraad Debackere
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Correspondence to Wolfgang Glänzel.

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Glänzel, W., Thijs, B. & Debackere, K. The application of citation-based performance classes to the disciplinary and multidisciplinary assessment in national comparison and institutional research assessment. Scientometrics 101, 939–952 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-014-1247-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-014-1247-1

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