Bibliometrics

Stockholm University's bibliometric function provides the main university administration and other decision-makers within the university with analyses of the university's scientific publishing. We study both publishing activity and the impact of publications.
Bibliometrics can be said to be the quantitative study of publications. Knowledge production and knowledge use are studied, based on the published literature. The following are examples of research topics in bibliometrics:

• Scientific achievement. Analysis units, such as countries, institutions, departments and research groups, are compared in terms of productivity (produced publications) and impact (citations received).
• Science mapping. Construction of maps in the form of networks. The purpose may be to expose the cognitive structure of a specific research area.
• Publication obsolescence. Different research area publications can be compared with regard to median life, for example.
• Bibliometric laws. These express observed regularities with regard to publications.

In recent years, bibliometrics, both in Sweden and in several other countries, is increasingly being used as a tool for evaluating research. The Swedish Research Council conducts annual measurements of the performance of Swedish higher education institutions by using an indicator that takes into account both the productivity and impact (measured as citations), and research resources are allocated on the basis of the measurement results. In addition, several Swedish educational institutions have received some form of bibliometric activity.

Figure 1. Part of the context in which Peter Pagin's publications have been used. Peter Pagin is professor of theoretical philosophy at Stockholm University.

Figure 2. Co-publishing network, with researchers from the Bert Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, as nodes.

Published: Thursday, September 15, 2011

Page Editor:

Updated: Thursday, February 16, 2012