Six indicators in search of a meaning

Authors

  • Juan Gorraiz El profesional de la información
  • Evaristo Jiménez-Contreras

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2018.mar.22

Keywords:

Science evaluation, Science measurement, Peer review, Scientometrics, Indicators, Policy, Impact Factor, H index, Crown indicator, Gini indicator, Altmetrics.

Abstract

This is a kind of conceptual document, and at the same time a reflection, but also something more, an act of provocation in the form of a piece of theater that shows a reality, something dramatic and comical at the same time, as is the panorama of

our research. It also includes a good portion of humor, but the kind of humor the great writer and thinker Luigi Pirandello defined as "žthe one that does not provoke the immediate laughter, but only pulls a smile behind which hides the bitter taste of the absurd or the unbearable lightness of our existence." This piece of theater, short and concise so as not to bore anyone, narrates the efforts that are required daily, as well as the situations created, to carry out the task -which is perhaps a utopia- of trying to measure something that is incommensurable, as is science on the part of those who are dedicated to its evaluation or to the study of its development. In this comedy, all actors involved, both protagonists and the indicators themselves, have the opportunity to present their hopes and fears, their merits and their complaints, their recommendations and warnings. They narrate the search for a path in a jungle in which the world of information has been converted, that is practicable, augurs a promising future for science, and allows us a more just interpretation.

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Published

2018-04-04

How to Cite

Gorraiz, J., & Jiménez-Contreras, E. (2018). Six indicators in search of a meaning. Profesional De La información, 27(2), 432–440. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2018.mar.22

Issue

Section

Humor académico