Does bibliometric research confer legitimacy to research assessment practice? A sociological study of reputational control, 1972-2016.

ABSTRACT: The use of bibliometric measures in the evaluation of research has increased considerably based on expertise from the growing research field of evaluative citation analysis (ECA). However, mounting criticism of such metrics suggests that the professionalization of bibliometric expertise remains contested. This paper investigates why impact metrics, such as the journal impact factor and the h-index, proliferate even though their legitimacy as a means of professional research assessment is questioned. Our analysis is informed by two relevant sociological theories: Andrew Abbott's theory of professions and Richard Whitley's theory of scientific work. These complementary concepts are connected in order to demonstrate that ECA has failed so far to provide scientific authority for professional r

SUBMITTER: Jappe A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6002049 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature