Can scientific knowledge be measured by numbers?

TY - CHAP

T1 - Can scientific knowledge be measured by numbers?

AU - Andersen, Hanne

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - Scientific knowledge is an important basis for our society. But not all scientific knowledge is equally important, and not all scientists are equally good scientists. In deciding which scientists to hire, which journals to acquire for a library, or which publications to read, various numerical indicators are often used to measure quality, impact, or relevance. This chapter provides a short overview of the most popular indicators, such as the h-index and the journal impact factor, and describe how they have been developed. On this basis, I discuss what the various indicators actually measure, where and to what extent it makes sense to draw on such numerical indicators, and where they may lead us astray.

AB - Scientific knowledge is an important basis for our society. But not all scientific knowledge is equally important, and not all scientists are equally good scientists. In deciding which scientists to hire, which journals to acquire for a library, or which publications to read, various numerical indicators are often used to measure quality, impact, or relevance. This chapter provides a short overview of the most popular indicators, such as the h-index and the journal impact factor, and describe how they have been developed. On this basis, I discuss what the various indicators actually measure, where and to what extent it makes sense to draw on such numerical indicators, and where they may lead us astray.

U2 - 10.4324/9780203703809

DO - 10.4324/9780203703809

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 9781138570153

SP - 144

EP - 159

BT - What is scientific knowledge?

A2 - McCain, Kevin

A2 - Kampourakis, Kostas

PB - Routledge

ER -