Research Assessment


The half-hearted approach to new publishing opportunities is exemplified amongst the many research project blogs that litter the web. In theory, the blog is an ideal medium for documenting a research project, and has become an essential part of any research proposal. A project blog not only allows for methods and findings to be shared during the research process rather than only when the research is finished, but it also provides a forum for external parties to provide feedback and contribute to the research project. In reality, however, many project blogs are


merely going through the motions, created and updated with one or two posts so that the relevant box can be ticked. When, from the perspective of research assessment, there is no ostensible difference between a blog that is highly cited and has tens of thousands of hits a month and a blog that no one visits, there is little incentive for researchers to create a vibrant, worthwhile blog. Rather than pushing the boundaries of what the new technologies enable researchers to do, most researchers’ limited time is likely to be spent focusing on those aspects that can contribute to their research profile, i.e., the publication of articles in traditional peer- reviewed journals. The potential for citation analysis to


suffer from the information equivalent of Gresham’s law, ‘bad money drives out good’, has long been recognised; when citations that are included within articles according to the norms of science are given the same value as those that can simply be coined in an attempt to increase one’s own perceived value, the ‘good’ citations may be driven out. However, the continued emphasis on traditional citations in research assessment means that it is not only bad citations undervaluing good citations, but potentially traditional publishing driving out the most suitable form of publishing.


Call for change The changing publishing environment has led to the call for alternative metrics (altmetrics.org/manifesto), which better reflect today’s research practices and take advantage of the use of current social media technologies. For such metrics to have an impact, however, they need to be widely accepted by the research community and be seen to reflect real engagement rather than the buzz of newsworthy, rather than academic-worthy, research.


www.researchinformation.info JUN/JUL 2011 Research Information 17


FEATURE


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