IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/scient/v129y2024i2d10.1007_s11192-023-04916-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Scientometric rules as a guide to transform science systems in the Middle East and North Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Jamal El-Ouahi

    (Leiden University
    Dubai Internet City)

Abstract

This study explores how scientometric data and indicators are used to transform science systems in a selection of countries in the Middle East and North Africa. I propose that scientometric-based rules inform such transformation. First, the research shows how research managers adopt scientometrics as ‘global standards’. I also show how several scientometric data and indicators are adopted following a ‘glocalization’ process. Finally, I demonstrate how research managers use this data to inform decision-making and policymaking processes. This study contributes to a broader understanding of the usage of scientometric indicators in the context of assessing research institutions and researchers based on their publishing activities. Related to these assessments, I also discuss how such data transforms and adapts local science systems to meet so-called ‘global standards’.

Suggested Citation

  • Jamal El-Ouahi, 2024. "Scientometric rules as a guide to transform science systems in the Middle East and North Africa," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(2), pages 869-888, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04916-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-023-04916-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-023-04916-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11192-023-04916-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Reinhard Werner, 2015. "The focus on bibliometrics makes papers less useful," Nature, Nature, vol. 517(7534), pages 245-245, January.
    2. Lucien Karpik, 2010. "Valuing the Unique: The Economics of Singularities," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 9215.
    3. Moed, H. F. & Burger, W. J. M. & Frankfort, J. G. & Van Raan, A. F. J., 1985. "The use of bibliometric data for the measurement of university research performance," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 131-149, June.
    4. Aparna Basu, 2006. "Using ISI's 'Highly Cited Researchers' to obtain a country level indicator of citation excellence," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 68(3), pages 361-375, September.
    5. Gloria Agyemang & Jane Broadbent, 2015. "Management control systems and research management in universities," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 28(7), pages 1018-1046, September.
    6. Duncan A Thomas & Maria Nedeva & Mayra M Tirado & Merle Jacob, 2020. "Changing research on research evaluation: A critical literature review to revisit the agenda," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 29(3), pages 275-288.
    7. Garfield, Eugene, 2009. "From the science of science to Scientometrics visualizing the history of science with HistCite software," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 173-179.
    8. repec:dau:papers:123456789/12525 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hicks, Diana, 2012. "Performance-based university research funding systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 251-261.
    10. Thomas Franssen & Paul Wouters, 2019. "Science and its significant other: Representing the humanities in bibliometric scholarship," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 70(10), pages 1124-1137, October.
    11. Sarah de Rijcke & Paul F. Wouters & Alex D. Rushforth & Thomas P. Franssen & Björn Hammarfelt, 2016. "Evaluation practices and effects of indicator use—a literature review," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 25(2), pages 161-169.
    12. Peter Weingart, 2005. "Impact of bibliometrics upon the science system: Inadvertent consequences?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 62(1), pages 117-131, January.
    13. Aloysius Siow, 1995. "The Organization of the Market for Professors," Working Papers siow-95-01, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.
    14. Ole Ellegaard & Johan A. Wallin, 2015. "The bibliometric analysis of scholarly production: How great is the impact?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 105(3), pages 1809-1831, December.
    15. repec:dau:papers:123456789/8445 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Konstantin Fursov & Yana Roschina & Oksana Balmush, 2016. "Determinants of Research Productivity: An Individual-level Lens," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 10(2), pages 44-56.
    2. Ole Ellegaard, 2018. "The application of bibliometric analysis: disciplinary and user aspects," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(1), pages 181-202, July.
    3. Eugenio Petrovich, 2022. "Bibliometrics in Press. Representations and uses of bibliometric indicators in the Italian daily newspapers," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(5), pages 2195-2233, May.
    4. Giovanni Abramo & Ciriaco Andrea D’Angelo & Myroslava Hladchenko, 2023. "Assessing the effects of publication requirements for professorship on research performance and publishing behaviour of Ukrainian academics," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(8), pages 4589-4609, August.
    5. Lutz Bornmann & Julian N. Marewski, 2019. "Heuristics as conceptual lens for understanding and studying the usage of bibliometrics in research evaluation," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 120(2), pages 419-459, August.
    6. David A. Pendlebury, 2019. "Charting a path between the simple and the false and the complex and unusable: Review of Henk F. Moed, Applied Evaluative Informetrics [in the series Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Scientifi," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 119(1), pages 549-560, April.
    7. Leonid Gokhberg & Tatiana Kuznetsova & Maxim Kotsemir, 2023. "From the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation: publication activity dynamics along the evolution of national science policies," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(11), pages 6195-6246, November.
    8. Cruz-Castro, Laura & Sanz-Menendez, Luis, 2021. "What should be rewarded? Gender and evaluation criteria for tenure and promotion," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    9. Domingo Docampo & Lawrence Cram, 2019. "Highly cited researchers: a moving target," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(3), pages 1011-1025, March.
    10. Mehdi Toloo & Rouhollah Khodabandelou & Amar Oukil, 2022. "A Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of Fractional Programming (1965–2020)," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-21, May.
    11. Dell'Anno, Roberto & Caferra, Rocco & Morone, Andrea, 2020. "A “Trojan Horse” in the peer-review process of fee-charging economic journals," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3).
    12. Sabrina Petersohn & Thomas Heinze, 2018. "Professionalization of bibliometric research assessment. Insights from the history of the Leiden Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS)," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 45(4), pages 565-578.
    13. Bertocchi, Graziella & Gambardella, Alfonso & Jappelli, Tullio & Nappi, Carmela A. & Peracchi, Franco, 2015. "Bibliometric evaluation vs. informed peer review: Evidence from Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 451-466.
    14. Bar-Ilan, Judit, 2008. "Informetrics at the beginning of the 21st century—A review," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 1-52.
    15. Linda Sīle & Raf Vanderstraeten, 2019. "Measuring changes in publication patterns in a context of performance-based research funding systems: the case of educational research in the University of Gothenburg (2005–2014)," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 118(1), pages 71-91, January.
    16. Ole Ellegaard & Johan A. Wallin, 2015. "The bibliometric analysis of scholarly production: How great is the impact?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 105(3), pages 1809-1831, December.
    17. Yves Fassin, 2024. "Research on bibliometrics and the World’s leading universities," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(11), pages 6693-6718, November.
    18. Miguel Fuentes & Juan Pablo Cárdenas & Carolina Urbina & Gerardo Vidal & Gastón Olivares & Diego Lawler & Edmundo Bustos Azocar & Eric Rasmussen, 2023. "Alignment between United Nations Environmental Assembly Guidance and National Research Priorities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-25, February.
    19. Siluo Yang & Xin Xing & Dietmar Wolfram, 2018. "Difference in the impact of open-access papers published by China and the USA," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 115(2), pages 1017-1037, May.
    20. Renata Kudaibergenova & Sandugash Uzakbay & Asselya Makanova & Kymbat Ramadinkyzy & Erlan Kistaubayev & Ruslan Dussekeev & Kadyrzhan Smagulov, 2022. "Managing publication change at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University: a case study," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(1), pages 453-479, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:129:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-023-04916-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.