Library and Information Science Commons^™

Macro-Level Diffusion Of A Methodological Knowledge Innovation: Research Synthesis Methods, 1972-2011, Laura Sheble

School of Information Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Use of research synthesis methods has contributed to changes in research practices. In disciplinary literatures, authors indicate motivations to use the methods include needs to (a) translate research-based knowledge to inform practice and policy decisions, and (b) integrate relatively large and diverse knowledge bases to increase the generality of results and yield novel insights or explanations. This review presents two histories of the diffusion of research synthesis methods: a narrative history based primarily in the health and social sciences; and a bibliometric overview across science broadly. Engagement with research synthesis was strongly correlated with evidence-based practice (EBP), and moderately with …

The Mathematics Of Scientific Research: Scientometrics, Citation Metrics, And Impact Factors, Clayton Hayes

Library Scholarly Publications

This talk will consist of an introduction to the rationale behind the establishment of the field of Scientometrics, which attempts to measure and analyze the body of research done in the sciences. This is primarily through analyzing the connections between scientific journals, articles, and authors. I will cover the foundational works of Price and Garfield in the fields of citation networks and impact factor, respectively, and will give some historical context for these developments. I will also speak briefly on more recent developments in these areas, such as the Eigenfactor, author citation metrics, and (time permitting) alternative metrics.

Audience: …