Research quality evaluation: comparing citation counts considering bibliometric database errors

Fiorenzo Franceschini (), Domenico Maisano and Luca Mastrogiacomo

Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, 2015, vol. 49, issue 1, 155-165

Abstract: When evaluating the research output of scientists, institutions or journals, different portfolios of publications are usually compared with each other. e.g., a typical problem is to select, between two scientists of interest, the one with the most cited portfolio. The total number of received citations is a very popular indicator, generally obtained by bibliometric databases. However, databases are not free from errors, which may affect the result of evaluations and comparisons; among these errors, one of the most significant is that of omitted citations. This paper presents a methodology for the pair-wise comparison of publication portfolios, which takes into account the database quality regarding omitted citations. In particular, it is defined a test for establishing if a citation count is (or not) significantly higher than one other. A statistical model for estimating the type-I error related to this test is also developed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Keywords: Database quality; Database error; Citation count; Omitted citations; Pair-wise comparison (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11135-013-9979-1

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