The problematic universalization of scientific evaluation indicators. A critique from radio studies

Abstract

The creation of an academic accreditation system for university researchers in Spain has led to the universalization of the pure and experimental sciences indicators. This universalization is questionable for the assessment of certain areas of knowledge such as communication science. This article provides a critical analysis of scientific evaluation indicators from a minority field of communicative research: radio studies. For this purpose, a multidimensional approach has been developed: bibliometric analysis of articles in Spanish academic journals, a survey of researchers, a study of the presence of authorities (most productive authors) in WoS-Scopus-Google Scholar, and the resolution of the main calls for national competitive fundings. The study has confirmed the inappropriate use of certain indicators -visibility and impact, internationalization, cooperation, or funded projects- for the evaluation of Spanish radio research, even more adverse than their use in other areas of communication. The adoption of mixed systems that make it possible to better evaluate the real impact of radio research is proposed.