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- The catchphrase 'publish or perish' has in
recent years been replaced by the more insidious 'be cited or
die'. As a general rule, an author who is heavily cited is held
to have contributed significantly to the development of ideas
in a particular field: an author who is rarely or never cited
is by the same token afforded low peer group esteem. Citedness
matters. If all authors cite in standardised fashion, then it
may be legitimate to use citation counts as indicators of influence
or worth, but if authors are inconsistent or whimsical in their
citation practices, numerology may create problems.
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- In this stimulating and widely-praised book,
Blaise Cronin reviews the evidence
for and against the use of citations in performance assessment,
drawing on research findings from the disciplines of information
science and the sociology of science. He concludes that the internalist
approach (focusing on quantities and frequency distributions)
on its own is inadequate and that more attention should be given
to the social psychology of citation.
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- This book is essential reading for information
scientists, librarians, academic administrators, sociologists,
science policy researchers and all those who are involved in
the scholarly communication process, whether as authors, editors
or referees.
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- ISBN 0 947568 01 8
- 1984
- £15.00/US$29.00
-
- 'Recommended to anyone with a personal
or professional interest in either the sociology of science or
in the use of citation studies.'
- British Book News
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- 'This elegant study takes it origin from
a paradoxical aspect of the social activity of science - that
the system of citation of previous research, performing several
essential functions for that activity, has only very recently
been appreciated as at all problematic.'
- Nature
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- 'Blaise Cronin has admirably presented
both sides of the crisis in the citation paradigm. His prose
is faultless and his command of the literature is simply superb'
- Science Age
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- 'This book is an important contribution
to the literature of the sociology of communication of knowledge......
fascinating and enjoyable.'
- Journal of Documentation
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