Science Impact Index

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Science Impact Index ( SII for short ) was developed in 1991 by the psychologist Siegfried Lehrl in order to be able to compare the research performance of scientists using objective statistical surveys with other methods such as B. the Science Citation Index (SCI) to improve. By lowering reviews , self-citations and multiple mentions by other authors within one year, the influence of citation communities should be excluded as far as possible.

properties

The SII is simple and largely objective if one understands by objectivity the extent to which different users arrive at the same measurement results. For the distinction between researching scientists, especially the qualitatively superior scientists, it proved to be relatively sensitive (Lehrl, 1999). Over a period of years, he was found to be somewhat more reliable than the majority of personality tests (Engel, 2006). Like a psychological test , it was checked and standardized with regard to its respective quality values ​​of objectivity , reliability and validity and found to be suitable. His readings mark a scientist who had research opportunities for about six to seven years. This usually applies from the age of 35. Under this condition, the SII records the research quality of a scientist, which proves to be a stable, central and general personality trait.

The validity of SII's how several concordance studies suggest far superior to that of individual experts. In contrast to them, the SII results are also transparent. At its current stage of development, this SII enables comparisons to be made across 42 medical specialties.

Determination of the values

From 1992 to 1994, the SII was standardized as a psychological test procedure for 42 subjects for the 14,000 habilitated / professors in German human medicine.

The SII corresponds to the number of different (first) authors who cite a particular scientist within a calendar year in journals that are included in the Science Citation Index (SCI). The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) is added to medical subjects that are strongly influenced by social sciences, such as psychiatry, psychosomatics or medical psychology .

Multiple citations in papers with the same first / sole author count only once in order to limit the influence of citation communities. A total of half a point is awarded for self-quotations, regardless of whether there are one or ten, for example. Because it must be recognized as an achievement even to appear in one of the internationally registered journals in order to be able to quote oneself. The addition of citations for subsequent authors does not increase the validity.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ S. Lehrl: The Science Impact Index as a measure of the implementation as well as the research quality and capacity of scientists. Application and quality properties . Media Point Verlagsgesellschaft, Nuremberg 1991, ISBN 3-928734-00-8 .
  2. ↑ The leading ten percent determined in this way in each of these disciplines were presented to the public in book form in 1995. Siegfried Lehrl: The leading medical researchers. Who's Who of German Medicine . Vless Verlag, Ebersberg 1995.

literature

  • N. Engel: Validity of SCI-related bibliometric parameters of first and subsequent authors as personality indicators - using the example of the professor of German neurology. Dissertation at the Medical Faculty of the University of Erlangen, 2006.
  • W. Gerok: Tasks and quality characteristics of medical literature - between science and advanced training. In: W. Creutzfeldt, G. Gerok (Ed.): Medical Journalism - Problems and Future. Thieme, Stuttgart 1997, pp. 1-9.
  • W. Golder: The Impact Factor: A Critical Analysis. In: RöFo Advances in the field of X-rays and imaging techniques. 169, 1998, pp. 220-226.
  • Hans Helmut Kornhuber: More research efficiency through objective assessment of research achievements. In: H.-D. Daniel, R. Fisch (Ed.): Evaluation of research. Universitätsverlag Konstanz, Konstanz 1988, pp. 361–382.
  • Siegfried Lehrl : The leading medical researchers. Who's Who of German Medicine . Vless Verlag, Ebersberg 1995, ISBN 3-88562-068-5 .
  • S. Lehrl: The impact factor as an evaluation criterion for scientific achievements - the right to equal opportunities . In: Strahlenther Onkol . 175, 1999, pp. 141-153.
  • PO Seglen: Causal Relationship between Article Citedness and Journal Impact. In: J Am Soc Inform Sci. 45, 1994, pp. 1-11.
  • RM May: The scientific wealth of nations. In: Science. 275, 1997, pp. 793-796.