The unintended consequences of task specialization in research careers

Researchers collaborate specializing in specific tasks. However, the research evaluation system only rewards specific profiles of researchers, threatening the diversity of the science ecosystem.

Nicolás Robinson-García, Rodrigo Costas, Cassidy R. Sugimoto, Vincent Larivière and Tina Nane • November 23, 2020

How important are bibliometrics in academic recruitment processes?

In a newly published paper in Minerva I have analyzed confidential reports from professor recruitments in four disciplines at the University of Oslo. In the paper I show how bibliometrics are used as a screening tool and not as a replacement for more traditional qualitative evaluation of candidates.

Ingvild Reymert • November 20, 2020

Do not assess books by their publishers

In my PhD research, I investigate the practicalities of the evaluation of scholarly book outputs across countries. In this blog post, I discuss the inconsistencies I discovered in judgements about publishers. I also propose a model for future evaluation of scholarly books.

Eleonora Dagiene • November 18, 2020

How can we organise team building and brainstorming online in times of corona?

The CWTS solution to this question: organise an online retreat. Last year, CWTS organised its research retreat off-site in Noord-Brabant. This year, due to the pandemic, we organised an alternative. This even brought us to Thailand - virtually, of course. In this post, we share our experiences.

Josephine Bergmans, Inge van der Weijden and Jackie Ashkin • November 16, 2020

Evaluative Inquiry IV: Accountability and learning

Do research evaluations serve the purpose of accountability or of learning? We argue that they can do both and that we might as well use the energy and resources it takes to organize evaluations for both accountability and learning opportunities.

Tjitske Holtrop, Laurens Hessels and Ad Prins • November 05, 2020

Leiden Madtrics turns one today!

Leiden Madtrics has been around for a full year! Time to reflect and wonder: How did it go?

Blog team • October 31, 2020

Incorporating the human factor in the study of universities

University evaluation is done, in part, by evaluating the papers produced by the university. However, universities don’t produce papers, right? People produce papers! In this blogpost we illustrate how you can use the number of papers produced by individuals to evaluate universities.

Juan Pablo Bascur Cifuentes and Rodrigo Costas • October 28, 2020

Publications should be FAIR

Scholarly data sets are increasingly expected to be FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable). To fully realize the benefits of open access to the scholarly literature, Ludo Waltman argues that publications should be FAIR as well.

Ludo Waltman • October 26, 2020

Why is it so difficult to think of new possible worlds?

We are what we read, it is sometimes said. In this blogpost, Jackie Ashkin suggests what academics might read to inspire imaginations of a world that could be otherwise.

Jackie Ashkin • October 07, 2020 • 1 comment