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arXiv · 0910.3529

Citation Statistics

Robert Adler·John Ewing·Peter Taylor
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Abstract

This is a report about the use and misuse of citation data in the assessment of scientific research. The idea that research assessment must be done using ``simple and objective'' methods is increasingly prevalent today. The ``simple and objective'' methods are broadly interpreted as bibliometrics, that is, citation data and the statistics derived from them. There is a belief that citation statistics are inherently more accurate because they substitute simple numbers for complex judgments, and hence overcome the possible subjectivity of peer review. But this belief is unfounded.

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Robert Adler, John Ewing, Peter Taylor. 2009-10-19. Citation Statistics. https://doi.org/10.1214/09-sts285

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