Authors : Robert M. Patton, Christopher G. Stahl, Jack C. Wells
The measurement of scientific progress remains a significant challenge exasperated by the use of multiple different types of metrics that are often incorrectly used, overused, or even explicitly abused.
Several metrics such as h-index or journal impact factor (JIF) are often used as a means to assess whether an author, article, or journal creates an « impact » on science. Unfortunately, external forces can be used to manipulate these metrics thereby diluting the value of their intended, original purpose.
This work highlights these issues and the need to more clearly define « impact » as well as emphasize the need for better metrics that leverage full content analysis of publications.
URL : http://www.dlib.org/dlib/september16/patton/09patton.html
