From the perspective of responsible use of publication metrics, one of the key stages is choosing the material used from sources that also provide publication data that is relevant to the subject and purpose of the analysis. Often, completely different tools are available for use when the subject of analysis is publication channels instead of universities or individual researchers, for example.
When choosing data sources, it is essential to recognize the differences between disciplines, as not all data sources cover all fields equally. Taking this point of view into account is especially important when the analysis includes objects from different scientific fields. In this case, publication metrics should be used with special consideration. Read more about the differences between disciplines in the Finnish national guide to publication metrics.
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When the object of the analysis is the University of Oulu or its faculties and research units, the most comprehensive publication data is available from the OuluCRIS research information system. OuluCRIS contains information about the publications of experts at the University of Oulu. In addition, it makes it possible to utilize the university's faculty and unit structure, which enables versatile publication analyses for faculties and research units as well.
In OuluCRIS, the subject of the assessment can be analysed using several indicators. Most commonly, this data is used to analyse the number of publications, the quality of publication channels (Jufo) and the openness of publications. This information is most comprehensively available from OuluCRIS, if the object of the evaluation is the University of Oulu and its faculties or research units.
In the OuluCRIS research information system, after logging in, users can download reports of publication data in both csv and excel formats for analysis. Using the search function, you can create time limits for the report and select the researchers, units, faculties or the entire university as the target of the analysis.
The publication data downloaded from OuluCRIS can be used, for example, in the Scopus database or in the SciVal analysis tool, in which case the citations received by the publications and several related indicators can also be included in the analysis.
The university's research units can order analyses of their own unit's publication activity from the library's bibliometric services. These analyses are primarily based on publications registered to the unit in OuluCRIS, but the analyses can be enriched with versatile citation data available from the SciVal analysis tool. Read more about bibliometric services.
Citation databases are the most important data source used in publication metrics, especially when the goal is to produce citation-based analyses. The most important databases containing citation data are the multidisciplinary Scopus and Web of Science.
From the point of view of the University of Oulu, the recommended choice for producing publication analyses is the Scopus database because we also use the SciVal analysis tool, which enables versatile analysis based on Scopus publication data. Scopus is also slightly more comprehensive in terms of our university's disciplines than Web of Science.
Google Scholar is more comprehensive than Scopus and Web of Science, but the functionalities and reliability it offers are not at the level required for analysis. Fore more information on the limitations and criticisms of Google Scholar, see the Finnish national guide to publication metrics. However, Google Scholar can be sufficient for monitoring the researcher's own citation numbers, especially in disciplines that are not very well covered in, for example, the Scopus database.
Linkki avautuu uuteen ikkunaan Linkki avautuu uuteen ikkunaanThere are plenty of evaluation tools available for evaluating publication channels. For Finnish research organisations, the key tool for evaluating publication channels is Publication Forum, which has been used since 2015 as part of the university funding model used by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland. Publication Forum aims to cover all peer-reviewed publication channels and scientific publishers used by researchers from Finnish research organisations. For more information on the Publication Forum, see the Finnish national guide to publication metrics.
Scopus and Web of Science (via JCR) also contain comprehensive information on the publication channels they index.
In addition, there are services for identifying predatory publishers and journals, but none of them cover the topic comprehensively. Check out the guidelines for identifying and avoiding predatory journals.
Linkki avautuu uuteen ikkunaan Linkki avautuu uuteen ikkunaanIn addition to these established data sources and tools, there are also a wide range of other sources and analysis tools available that offer or utilise publication metrics. Some free tools or tools used at the University of Oulu for various purposes are listed below. For more information on additional tools see the Finnish national guide to publication metrics.
From the perspective of responsible use of publication metrics, one of the key stages is choosing data sources that provide publication data that is relevant to the subject and purpose of the analysis. In addition, it should be considered what type of information about the target is required and how high-quality and comprehensive the available data is in terms of the target and the goal.
When choosing data sources, it is essential to recognize the differences between disciplines, as not all data sources cover all fields equally. Taking this point of view into account is especially important when the analysis includes objects from different scientific fields. In this case, publication metrics should be used with special consideration.
Content related to data sources and analysis tools in the Finnish national guide to publication metrics
The source of this guide is the Finnish national guide to publication metrics (KJMO), which has been produced in collaboration between Finnish publication metrics experts.
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
