Letter: A call for a radical change in research evaluation in Spain

This letter is a call to the Spanish scientific authorities to abandon current research evaluation policies, which are based on an excessive and indiscriminate use of bibliometric indicators for nearly all areas of scientific activity. This narrow evaluation focus is especially applied to assess the individual performance of researchers. To this end, we first describe the contexts in which the journal impact factor (JIF) and other bibliometric indicators are being used. We then consider the toxic effects of this abuse of indicators. Finally, we outline some significant transformations and initiatives being introduced in various academic fields and regions of the world. These international initiatives offer alternatives to bibliometrics that can improve evaluation processes, and we urge political leaders in Spain to adopt and develop them.

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Professional and citizen bibliometrics: complementarities and ambivalences in the development and use of indicators—a state-of-the-art report

Scientometrics ◽

10.1007/s11192-016-2150-8 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 2129-2150 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Loet Leydesdorff ◽

Paul Wouters ◽

Lutz Bornmann

Keyword(s):

Research Evaluation ◽

State Of The Art ◽

Impact Factors ◽

Career Interests ◽

Bibliometric Indicators ◽

Institutional Practices ◽

Total Citation ◽

Socially Constructed ◽

Journal Impact ◽

Shed Light

AbstractBibliometric indicators such as journal impact factors, h-indices, and total citation counts are algorithmic artifacts that can be used in research evaluation and management. These artifacts have no meaning by themselves, but receive their meaning from attributions in institutional practices. We distinguish four main stakeholders in these practices: (1) producers of bibliometric data and indicators; (2) bibliometricians who develop and test indicators; (3) research managers who apply the indicators; and (4) the scientists being evaluated with potentially competing career interests. These different positions may lead to different and sometimes conflicting perspectives on the meaning and value of the indicators. The indicators can thus be considered as boundary objects which are socially constructed in translations among these perspectives. This paper proposes an analytical clarification by listing an informed set of (sometimes unsolved) problems in bibliometrics which can also shed light on the tension between simple but invalid indicators that are widely used (e.g., the h-index) and more sophisticated indicators that are not used or cannot be used in evaluation practices because they are not transparent for users, cannot be calculated, or are difficult to interpret.

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Scientific Publishing Differences between Sexes in Cardiology, Cardiac, and General Surgery

The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1740046 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gloria Färber ◽

Leonhard Alscher ◽

Estelle Heyne ◽

Torsten Doenst ◽

Michael Schwarzer

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Surgery ◽

General Surgery ◽

Scientific Output ◽

Scientific Activity ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

Academic Degree ◽

University Departments ◽

Female Presence ◽

The Individual ◽

Journal Impact

Abstract Background Research and scientific publications are important for the advancement of science but also for the individual career development. While women have become the majority of students in medicine we do not know about female presence and scientific activity in cardiac surgery. We thus aimed to compare scientific output of women and men in German University departments of cardiac surgery with cardiology departments focusing on the same organ and surgical departments not addressing the heart (general surgery) of 34 universities in Germany. Methods Personnel working at University departments was identified on the institutions internet homepage in 2014. Publications in 2011 to 2013 on PubMed were identified. Author and manuscript characteristics were determined. Results A lower proportion of women were working in cardiac surgery (25%) compared with cardiology (35%) and general (32%) surgery independent of executive function or academic degree. Scientifically active women published fewer manuscripts per capita than men both, in total and as first author. Additionally, the mean and the cumulated journal impact factor of the journals chosen was lower for women compared with men in cardiology but not in cardiac and general surgery. Conclusion We conclude that the differences in scientific activity between women and men are more pronounced in cardiology compared with general and cardiac surgery, indicating that a higher proportion of women in a field does not result in reduced differences between sexes. The low number of women together with the lower number of manuscripts in cardiac surgery may render the appointment of women as directors challenging.

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Bibliometric Indicators for Evaluating the Quality of Scientific Publications

The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10024-1525 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 258-262 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Medha A Joshi

Keyword(s):

Scientific Output ◽

Bibliometric Indicators ◽

Scientific Publications ◽

Scientific Impact ◽

H Index ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

The Individual ◽

Quantitative Indicators ◽

Journal Impact

ABSTRACT Evaluation of quality and quantity of publications can be done using a set of statistical and mathematical indices called bibliometric indicators. Two major categories of indicators are (1) quantitative indicators that measure the research productivity of a researcher and (2) performance indicators that evaluate the quality of publications. Bibliometric indicators are important for both the individual researcher and organizations. They are widely used to compare the performance of the individual researchers, journals and universities. Many of the appointments, promotions and allocation of research funds are based on these indicators. This review article describes some of the currently used bibliometric indicators such as journal impact factor, crown indicator, h-index and it's variants. It is suggested that for comparison of scientific impact and scientific output of researchers due consideration should be given to various factors affecting theses indicators. How to cite this article Joshi MA. Bibliometric Indicators for Evaluating the Quality of Scientific Publications. J Contemp Dent Pract 2014;15(2):258-262.

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Pengaruh Kesesuaian Tugas-Teknologi, Kepercayaan dan Efektivitas Sistem Informasi Akuntansi Terhadap Kinerja Individu pada Pasar Swalayan di Kota Tangerang

Jurnal ULTIMA Accounting ◽

10.31937/akuntansi.v5i2.152 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 62-80

Author(s):

Agnes Ashianti ◽

Albertus Fani

Keyword(s):

Information Systems ◽

Accounting Information ◽

Individual Performance ◽

Primary Data ◽

Accounting Information System ◽

Accounting Information Systems ◽

Study Test ◽

Task Technology Fit ◽

The Individual ◽

Systems Effectiveness

The objective of this research is to examine the effect of task-technology fit, trust of accounting information systems, and effectiveness of accounting information systems on the individual performance at a supermarket in Tangerang city. The samples in this study were employees of a supermarket in Tangerang city who used accounting information system in doing its job. The data used in this study is primary data through questionnaires. In data analysis techniques, this study test the reliability of the formula coefficient of Cronbach 's Alpha, validity test by means of correlation using the r counted and r table, test for normality using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the classical assumption, hypothesis testing multiple linear regression, t test, and F test. The results showed that the task-technology fit and trust of accounting information systems each have a significant effect on the individual performance, while the effectiveness of accounting information systems does not significantly influence the individual performance. Task-technology fit, trust of accounting information systems, and the effectiveness of accounting information systems have simultaneous significant effect on the individual performance. Keyword: Task-Technology Fit, Trust of Accounting Information Systems, Effectiveness of Accounting Information Systems, Individual Performance..

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The Individual Performance of Mobile Travelling App for Chinese Tourist Service

KODISA International Conference on Business and Economics (KODISA.ICBE) ◽

10.35646/kodisa.icbe.2019.7.5.377 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 (7) ◽

pp. 377-383

Author(s):

Xiu-Fu TIAN ◽

Jong-Ho LEE

Keyword(s):

Individual Performance ◽

The Individual ◽

Tourist Service

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Analysis of the journal impact factor and related bibliometric indicators in education and educational research category

Education for Information ◽

10.3233/efi-200442 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-22

Author(s):

Metin Orbay ◽

Orhan Karamustafaoğlu ◽

Ruben Miranda

Keyword(s):

Impact Factor ◽

Educational Research ◽

Journal Impact Factor ◽

Impact Factors ◽

Bibliometric Indicators ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Starting Point ◽

Consistent Assessment ◽

The Impact ◽

Journal Impact

This study analyzes the journal impact factor and related bibliometric indicators in Education and Educational Research (E&ER) category, highlighting the main differences among journal quartiles, using Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index, SSCI) as the data source. High impact journals (Q1) publish only slightly more papers than expected, which is different to other areas. The papers published in Q1 journal have greater average citations and lower uncitedness rates compared to other quartiles, although the differences among quartiles are lower than in other areas. The impact factor is only weakly negative correlated (r=-0.184) with the journal self-citation but strongly correlated with the citedness of the median journal paper (r= 0.864). Although this strong correlation exists, the impact factor is still far to be the perfect indicator for expected citations of a paper due to the high skewness of the citations distribution. This skewness was moderately correlated with the citations received by the most cited paper of the journal (r= 0.649) and the number of papers published by the journal (r= 0.484), but no important differences by journal quartiles were observed. In the period 2013–2018, the average journal impact factor in the E&ER has increased largely from 0.908 to 1.638, which is justified by the field growth but also by the increase in international collaboration and the share of papers published in open access. Despite their inherent limitations, the use of impact factors and related indicators is a starting point for introducing the use of bibliometric tools for objective and consistent assessment of researcher.

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Low ventilatory responsiveness to transient hypoxia or breath-holding predicts fast marathon performance in healthy middle-aged and older men

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89766-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bartłomiej Paleczny ◽

Rafał Seredyński ◽

Małgorzata Wyciszkiewicz ◽

Adrianna Nowicka-Czudak ◽

Wojciech Łopusiewicz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plasma Renin ◽

Older Men ◽

Individual Performance ◽

Breath Holding ◽

Vasomotor Tone ◽

Younger Men ◽

The Individual ◽

Peripheral Chemoreflex ◽

Sympathetic Vasomotor Tone ◽

Marathon Performance

AbstractThe aim of this study was to test the utility of haemodynamic and autonomic variables (e.g. peripheral chemoreflex sensitivity [PCheS], blood pressure variability [BPV]) for the prediction of individual performance (marathon time and VO2max) in older men. The post-competition vasodilation and sympathetic vasomotor tone predict the marathon performance in younger men, but their prognostic relevance in older men remains unknown. The peripheral chemoreflex restrains exercise-induced vasodilation via sympathetically-mediated mechanism, what makes it a plausible candidate for the individual performance marker. 23 men aged ≥ 50 year competing in the Wroclaw Marathon underwent an evaluation of: resting haemodynamic parameters, PCheS with two methods: transient hypoxia and breath-holding test (BHT), cardiac barosensitivity, heart rate variability (HRV) and BPV, plasma renin and aldosterone, VO2max in a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). All tests were conducted twice: before and after the race, except for transient hypoxia and CPET which were performed once, before the race. Fast marathon performance and high VO2max were correlated with: low ventilatory responsiveness to hypoxia (r = − 0.53, r = 0.67, respectively) and pre-race BHT (r = − 0.47, r = 0.51, respectively), (1) greater SD of beat-to-beat SBP (all p < 0.05). Fast performance was related with an enhanced pre-race vascular response to BHT (r = − 0.59, p = 0.005). The variables found by other studies to predict the marathon performance in younger men: post-competition vasodilation, sympathetic vasomotor tone (LF-BPV) and HRV were not associated with the individual performance in our population. The results suggest that PCheS (ventilatory response) predicts individual performance (marathon time and VO2max) in men aged ≥ 50 yeat. Although cause-effect relationship including the role of peripheral chemoreceptors in restraining the post-competition vasodilation via the sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow may be hypothesized to underline these findings, the lack of correlation between individual performance and both, the post-competition vasodilation and the sympathetic vasomotor tone argues against such explanation. Vascular responsiveness to breath-holding appears to be of certain value for predicting individual performance in this population, however.

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Peer Effects on Individual Performance in a Team Sport

Journal of Sports Economics ◽

10.1177/15270025211000389 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152700252110003

Author(s):

Mariia Molodchik ◽

Sofiia Paklina ◽

Petr Parshakov

Keyword(s):

Video Game ◽

Peer Effects ◽

Team Sport ◽

Individual Performance ◽

Team Cohesion ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Marginal Benefit ◽

The Individual

The paper investigates the variety of peer effects on individual performance in a team sport. The individual performance of more than 5,000 soccer players, from 234 teams, between 2010 and 2015, is measured with the help of the FIFA video game simulator developed by EA Sports. The study reveals positive peer effects on individual performance although the marginal benefit decreases. Additionally, team cohesion contributes to an improvement of players’ ranking.

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