Bibliometrics: interpreting citation data

Bibliometrics is a collective term for a range of approaches used to quantify aspects of scholarly publications through citations data. When used in the right context, bibliometric data can provide a wealth of useful information on the impact of individual articles, groups of articles (e.g., the work of a particular author or institution) or particular publications (e.g., journals). However, used uncritically, bibliometrics can be misleading. UCL is committed to the responsible use of bibliometrics, and aims to support those accessing and using bibliometrics to do so confidently.

The aim of this session is to introduce researchers to the practical and theoretical basics of bibliometrics. It explores the tools available to identify bibliometric data and measures, including Web of Science, Journal Citation Reports, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We also look at author unique identifiers, and services which enable you to create and maintain an authoritative list of your publications. Further, we will look at altmetrics (alternative metrics), new indicators which can be used to give a sense of the reach and impact of research outside of academia. Throughout, we will discuss the principles underlying the responsible use of metrics, and ways in which they can be interpreted appropriately and informatively.

This session is part of the Doctoral School Skills Development programme. Postgraduate research students at UCL should book a place by logging in via the programme website.