Scholarly Metrics Under the Microscope: From Citation Analysis to Academic Auditing

Citation

David Stuart (2015), "Scholarly Metrics Under the Microscope: From Citation Analysis to Academic Auditing", Online Information Review, Vol. 39 No. 4, pp. 592-593. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-05-2015-0160

Interest in the auditing of academic research continues to rise around the world and shows little sign of slowing despite reservations amongst parts of the academic community. At such an important time in the field, Cronin and Sugimoto have followed their recent edited monograph, Beyond Bibliometrics: Harnessing Multidimensional Indicators of Scholarly Impact (MIT Press, 2014), with another edited work in Scholarly Metrics under the Microscope, this time focusing more specifically on the area of scholarly metrics and bringing together a wide selection of previously published works to provide a one-stop resource for scholarly metrics.

The work brings together selected works relating to six areas of scholarly metrics: concepts and theories, validity issues, data sources, indicators, science policy and systemic effects. A critical introduction is provided to each of the sections by the editors, in addition to an introduction and epilogue to the work as a whole.

Cronin and Sugimoto have undoubtedly brought together a rich and interesting collection of works that have engaged with the topic of scholarly metrics from different perspectives over the last 60 years. Understandably the majority of the collection is from peer-reviewed journals published in the last decade, but there are also significant works from the 1950s through the 1990s, as well as opinion pieces from alternative sources such as magazines, conference keynotes and blog posts. The wide variety of pieces provides useful historical context to many of the issues within scientometrics, whilst Cronin and Sugimoto’s additional introductions provide further valuable insights into the topics discussed, and references for further reading are also included.

No two people (or two groups of people) trying to compile such a work would select the same pieces for inclusion, and readers knowledgeable in the field will undoubtedly have their own favourites that were not included, or areas of scientometrics they may deem worthy of greater coverage. Nonetheless there is no doubting the value of the Scholarly Metrics under the Microscope as an introduction to the theory, methods and criticisms of scientometrics over the last 60 years and to the field’s development. The only difficulty in recommending such a work totally wholeheartedly comes from what, at least for individuals, might be considered a significant price tag. Those who already have access to the electronic versions of many of the pieces included within the work would probably benefit more from purchasing Beyond Bibliometrics, but where money is less of an object (or someone is lucky enough to benefit from a review copy) Scholarly Metrics under the Microscope will provide a welcome acquisition that you are likely to return to again and again.