Abstract

Assessing the results of research groups based on available resources and obtaining some indicator of efficiency are issues of great relevance for the design of policies to promote research and development (R&D). Information professionals can contribute to this effort by providing data such as the total number of doctoral theses or publications in the most prestigious journals. The article proposes a methodology for assessing the technical efficiency of research groups based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) and applies it to university research groups in the area of information technology and communications (ICT) in Andalusia.

Abstract

Impact Factor measures the average number of times that articles published in the last two years are cited in the current year. In spite of its limitations, the evaluation agencies of some countries like Spain use it in research assessment, generating a deep unease within some circles that consider its use inappropriate and indiscriminate. As an alternative to the Impact Factor of Thomson ISI, other indicators have been proposed, although none of them have achieved sufficient acceptance and widespread use to be systematically applied. Among Spanish initiatives, most notable are the Potential Impact Factor of The Spanish Medical Journals, developed by the Siniac team (Information systems and research activity indicators) from the Instituto de Historia de la Ciencia y Documentación López Piñero (Valencia, Spain), and the Índice de impacto de las revistas españolas de ciencias sociales (In-Recs), developed by the EC3 research group at Library and Documentation department of Granada University (Spain).

Abstract

 There is a greater need to evaluate the research, and yet it is increasingly more complex to do so. The main criticisms that the inadequate use of informetric indicators receive are exposed. Alternative ways to use them to measure the research performance in an informed and responsible way, exploiting its potential adequately, are suggested.

Abstract

A quantitative analysis of the scientific production of Ecuador in the Andean context is provided for 2000-2013, using data provided by the SCImago journal & country rank (SJR). We identified the indicators of absolute production and growth rate, and used three indicators to evaluate visibility: absolute citation, cites per document and international collaboration. We concluded that 1) Ecuador enjoyed positive growth in scientific production during the study period, except in 2010 and 2011; 2) it rebounded at the end of the period analyzed; 3) half of the production was in the areas of agriculture and medicine, which therefore appeared as the main areas of national scientific development; and 4) the most productive area, agriculture, was also the most cited.

Abstract

The field of Communication in Spain is analyzed, contextualizing Spanish output at a global and local level between the years 2000 and 2020. Based on a descriptive bibliometric analysis of the Communication category of the Social Sciences Citation Index database, part of Web of Science, the impact of the main countries is identified. The weight of the output in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) database between 2015 and 2020 is also studied. An analysis of the output by universities in Spain for the period 2010–2020 is also carried out, comparing it with the impact and the works in the first quartile. The results reveal that Spain has been the fourth country in terms of output in Communication in the last decade and that Austria stands out as the country whose works have the greatest impact. It is also observed that 67% of Spain’s works in Communication are published in journals that are indexed in ESCI. The impact of Spanish universities is very close to the world average. The Universitat Pompeu Fabra stands out, publishing the most articles and, furthermore, being the Spanish university with most papers in the first quartile of the JCR in Communication between 2010 and 2020. The study of the Shanghai Ranking by area includes eight Spanish universities, only three of which have output in Communication that comes mainly from professors in this area. The role of the Spanish journals Comunicar and Profesional de la información is notable, as they publish a large fraction of the output by Spanish universities in the Communication field. Finally, this paper presents the challenges of research in Communication, as well as those related to its bibliometric analysis, and a reflection on the problems that affect scientific production and research in this subject area.

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a research study whose objective was to identify the facilitating factors and barriers that, in the opinion of representatives of the Spanish scientific community, impact the implementation of the new open science model in four areas: open access, open research data, research assessment and open peer review. A qualitative study was designed in which information was obtained through interviews with researchers, editors of scientific journals, representatives of assessment agencies and vice-chancellors, and through a focus group of librarians with expertise in aspects of open science. The enabling factors and barriers identified were related to the researcher and the fruit of their research, as well as to the scientific ecosystem, which provides direct institutional support and backing (universities/research centres), the regulatory framework (management of the science system) and the science communication system (media). The results indicate that a shift in scientific practices toward the open science model can only be achieved if there is a policy framework that integrates all initiatives and links into the scientific assessment and reward system, and if the necessary funding is in place to support this transition.