internationalisation in science in the prism of bibliometric indicators

secondary communication. The figures of average deviations 20% (variance as
low
very low
well as maximum deviation measures) 0% confirm very a low steady trend towards
0%
internationalisation (ibid.).
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Fundamental B iology
very high
high
medium
low
very low
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96
Years
Applied B iology-Ecology
Chemistry Physics
Earth&Space
100%
100%
very high
100%
very high
100%
very high
very high
80% internationalisation high
80% (two disciplines)
80%
high
80%
high
60%
60%
high
This figure illustrates medium the trend 60% towards internationalisation,
medium
60% with
40%
low
40%
40%
medium low
40%
medium
20%
20%
3. Consequences on very lowinterpretation
20% of bibliometric very low
low
indicators,
20%
low
static and 0% dynamic (the rent of 0% transition) very low
very low
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 0% 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 0%
Years
82 84 86 Years 88 90 92 94 96 82 84 86 88 90 92
Indicators are based on databases, and each Years database has its Years own
94 96
Physics
Earth&Space
very high
100%
100%
Engineering
Mathematics
very high
very high
based on a careful 80% selection of journals, 80% 100% but is not bias-free. 100%
The
very high high
interpretation of national high bibliometric indicators, among other
60%
60% 80%
80%
very high
80%
60%
40%
20%
high
Discarding the 60% national-oriented 60% class, source of noise, allows to
high
40%
medium
40%
20%
low
20%
medium
very low
low
0%
82 84 86 88 90
Years
92 94 96
0%
82 84 86
very low
88 90
Years
92 94 96
high
medium
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96
Years
80%
60%
40%
very high
high
medium
low
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96
Years
Applied Biology-Ecology
Chemistry
100%
100%
B iomedical Research
very high
100%
very high
80%
80%
very high
high
high
80%
high
60%
60%
medium
medium
60%
medium
40%
40%
low low
40%
low
20% 20%
very very low low
20%
very low
0% 0%
0%
82 82 84 84 86 86 88 88 90 90 92 92 94 94 96 96 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96
Years Years
Years
Fig.2. Distribution of publications among journals by level of journal
top-classes gaining importance. Source: ibid.
statistical characteristics. It is generally considered that SCI (or
now ISI "Web of Science") gives a good image of international science,
problems, should care for two related issues:
40%
medium
40% 60%
medium high
60%
- the mix of two journal populations, with, for national-oriented high
20%
low
20% 40%
low medium
40%
journals population, an uneven distribution among countries, has heavy
very low
very low
0%
0%
low
medium
consequences on international benchmarking 20% of outputs, 20% including in
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96
static assessment. There is a serious risk very lowof
overestimation lowof
Years
Years
0%
0%
very low
publication share and underestimation of impact for couples country-
82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 82 84 86 88 90 92
discipline still marked Engineering by a national model Mathematics reflected Years in SCI tail (Zitt Years
et al. 2003). 100% A similar effect for 100% the presence of journals not using
English language is analysed very high in Van Leeuwen et al. (2001).
80%
80%
very high
94 96
uncover nice regularities of classic indicators as a function of the
database perimeter (ibid.), and to give another approach of
international benchmarking. However attention should be paid to applied
field-researches with possible national or regional specific targets
(medicine, agriculture, etc.), with models that are hardly received by