On the use of factor analysis for bibliometric indicators

Timothy L. Urban ()
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Timothy L. Urban: The University of Tulsa, Collins College of Business

Scientometrics, 2025, vol. 130, issue 7, No 29, 4071 pages

Abstract: Abstract Factor analysis is useful in bibliometric analyses by identifying the latent factor structure of a set of indicators as well as developing a bibliometric index for ranking observations (e.g., journals, researchers, universities). The aim of this note is to augment the work of Valderrama et al. (Scientometrics 127:509–522, 2022) by interpreting the results of factor analysis in terms of the relative weights of the original indicators on the index and by evaluating the effect of the number of factors and the method of rotation on the weights and on the subsequent ranks of the observations. We find that the weights of the indicators and, to a lesser extent, the subsequent ranking of the observations, are sensitive to the number of factors retained and the method of factor rotation.

Keywords: Factor analysis; Weighted factor index; Ranking methodology; 62H25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-025-05359-2

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