What do Ratings Say? Political Science Journals in the RSCI System

Avdonin V.S.,

Leading Researcher, Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, avdoninvla@mail.ru

elibrary_id: 646856 |

Meleshkina Ye.Yu.,

Principal Researcher, Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Professor, MGIMO University
elibrary_id: 192463 |

DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2019.04.06

Rubric: Laboratory: Political Research in the National Perspective

For citation:

Avdonin V.S., Meleshkina Ye.Yu. What do Ratings Say? Political Science Journals in the RSCI System. – Polis. Political Studies. 2019. No. 4. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2019.04.06

Abstract

What do ratings of political science journals show? What can they provide for us to understand problems of political science? How do the distinguishing features and common specifics of science development in Russia influence the ratings of political science journals? The authors answer the questions on the basis of analysing the Russian Science Citation Index ratings and some other bibliometric indicators of Russian journals which publish articles on politics. The article highlights difficulties of using the Science Index for integral assessment of publication activity and influence of scientific journals. Amongst them is the fuzzy thematic identification of journals in the system and the “discrepancy” of citation accounting in “latitude” and “quality”. The authors analyses problems of impact-factors application for evaluations of scientific journals, science development, shaping and activity of scientific communities. The question of citation functions and meanings are examined. The authors compare political science journals ratings made on the basis of Science Index, expert evaluations and some bibliometric indicators calculated in RSCI system (for example half-life of articles) and reveal the importance of application of various indicators. The article discusses the necessity for amending the Science Index by including indicators which reflect “quality” in published articles and citation. The authors conclude that it is important to take into consideration the peculiarities of political science development in Russia when using journals ratings for their evaluation and assessment of situation in political science.

Keywords

political science journals, ratings of scientific journals, RSCI system, bibliometric and expert indicators, Science index, political science in Russia.

Full Text

References

Bonitz М., Scharnhorst А. 2001. Competition in Science and the Matthew Core Journals. – Scieпtometrics. Vol. 51. No. 1. Р. 37-54.

Fong E.A., Wilhite A.W. 2017. Authorship and Citation Manipulation in Academic Research. – PLoS ONE. 12(12): e01897394. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187394

González-Pereira B., Guerrero-Bote V.P., Moya-Anegón F. 2010. A New Approach to the Metric of Journals’ Scientific Prestige: The SJR Indicator. – Journal of Informetrics. Vol. 4. No. 3. Р. 379-391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2010.03.002

Guerrero-Bote V.P., Moya-Anegón F. 2012. A Further Step Forward in Measuring Journals’ Scientific Prestige: The SJR2 Indicator. – Journal of Informetrics. Vol. 6. No. 4. Р. 674-688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2012.07.001

Cozzens S.E. 1989. What Do Citations Count? The Rhetoric-first Model. – Scientometrics. Vol. 15. No. 5-6. P. 437-447. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02017064

Larivière V., Gingras Y. 2010. The Impact Factor’s Matthew Effect: A Natural Experiment in Bibliometrics. – Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. Vol. 61. No. 2. Р. 424-427. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21232

Larivière V., Sugimoto C.R. 2019. The Journal Impact Factor: A Brief History, Critique, and Discussion of Adverse Effects. – Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Ed. by W. Glänzel, H.F. Moed, U. Schmoch, M. Thelwall. Cham (Switzerland): Springer International Publishing. P. 2-33.

Merton R.K. 1968. The Matthew Effect in Science. – Science. Vоl. 159, No. 3810. Р. 56-63. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.159.3810.56

Adler R., Ewing J., Taylor P. 2015. Citation Statistics. – Igra v tsyfir’, ili kak teper’ otsenivayut trud uchenogo (sbornik statei o bibliometrike) [The Game of Numerals, or How Do They Evaluate the Work of a Scientist (Collection of Articles on Bibliometrics)]. Moscow: MCCME Publisher. P. 6-38. (In Russ.)

Alimova N.K. 2017. Preparation of Journal and Documents for Submission to the List of Higher Education Commission. – Nauchnaya periodika: problemy i resheniya. Vol. 7. No. 3. P. 180-192. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.18334/nppir.7.3.38362

Arnold D.N., Fowler K.K. 2011. Nefarious Numbers. 2011. – Igra v tsyfir’, ili kak teper’ otsenivayut trud uchenogo (sbornik statei o bibliometrike) [The Game of Numerals, or How Do They Evaluate the Work of a Scientist (Collection of Articles on Bibliometrics)]. Moscow: MCCME Publisher. P. 52-62. (In Russ.)

Avdonin V.S. 2015. Political Science in the RAS Institutes: Institutional Dimension and Scientometric Indicators. – Political science (RU). No. 3. P. 27-52. (In Russ.)

Avdonin V.S., Meleshkina E.Yu. 2016. Political Science in the RAS Institutes through the Prism of an Expert Poll. – Political science (RU). No. 2. P. 232-246. (In Russ.)

Balatsky E.V., Ekimova N.A. 2015. The Problem of Manipulation in the RSCI System. – Bulletin of Ural Federal University. Series Economics and Management. Vol. 14. No. 2. P. 166-178. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15826/vestnik.2015.14.2.021

Grigorieva E.I., Zaripova Z.R., Kokarev K.P. 2015. How Good Are the Journals in Which You Publish Your Articles? – Polis. Political Studies. No. 3. P. 147-159. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2015.03.10

Ivanova E.A. 2011. The Use of Indicators of Publication Activity of Scientists in the Practice of Science Management (Review of the Issues Discussed). – Sociology of Science and Technology. Vol. 2. No. 4. P. 61-72. (In Russ.)

Ilyin M.V. 2018. Modern Political Science: Crisis or Development? (Abstracts for the Conviction). – Political science (RU). No. 1. P. 40-67. (In Russ.)

Istomin I.A. 2018. Assessment of Scientific Productivity and Social Utility of Scientific Studies: The Lessons from the U.S. Record. – Polis. Political Studies. No. 6. P. 127-141. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2018.06.09

Lawrence P.A. 2011. Lost in Publication: How Measurement Harms Science. – Igra v tsyfir’, ili kak teper’ otsenivayut trud uchenogo (sbornik statei o bibliometrike) [The Game of Numerals, or How Do They Evaluate the Work of a Scientist (Collection of Articles on Bibliometrics)]. Moscow: MCCME Publisher. P. 39-45. (In Russ.)

Mazov N., Gureyev V. 2017. Journals from Web of Science RSCI Database amond Top-list of Serials of the Russian Citation Index. – Biblioteki i informatsionnye resursy v sovremennom mire nauki, kul’tury, obrazovaniya i biznesa: 24-ya Mezhdunarodnaya konferentsiya “Krym” (3-11.06.2017, Sudak): Trudy konferentsii [Libraries and Information Resources in the Modern World of Science, Culture, Education and Business: the 24th International Conference “Crimea” (3-11.06.2017, Sudak): Proceedings of the Conference]. Moscow: Publishing Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology. P. 1-6. (In Russ.)

Moskaleva O. 2014. Research Publications as a Means of Communication, Analysis and Assessment of Research Activity. – Rukovodstvo po Naukometrii: Indikatori Razvitiia Naukii Tehnologii [Handbook for Scientometrics: Indicators of Science and Technology Development]. P. 110-163. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15826/B978-5-7996-1352-5.0006

Novikov D.A., Gubko M.V. 2013. Naukometriya i ekspertiza v upravlenii naukoi: predislovie [Scientometrics and Expertise in the Management of Science: Preface]. – Upravlenie bol’shimi sistemami. Sbornik trudov. Spetsial’nyi vypusk 44 – Naukometriya i ekspertiza v upravlenii naukoi [Management of Big Systems. Collected Works. Special Issue 44: Scientometrics and Expertise in the Management of Science. 2013. Ed. by D.A. Novikov, A.I. Orlov, P.Yu. Chebotarev. Moscow: IPU RAS. P. 8-15. (In Russ.)

Patzelt W. 2018. Is Political Science in Ccrisis? – Political science (RU). No. 1. P. 68-92. (In Russ.)

Round table: “Political Science in the Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences: History, Current State, Prospects’. – Political science (RU). No. 3. P. 237-251. (In Russ.)

Solovyov A.I. Crises and “crisis”: How to Treat Cognitive Conflicts of Political Science? – Political science (RU). No. 1. P. 105-121. (In Russ.)

Tretyakova O.V. On the Issue of the Impact Factor of a Scientific Journal and Methods of Its Formation. – Voprosy territorial’nogo razvitiya. No. 5. P. 1-6. (In Russ.)

Tret’yakova O.V. 2018. The Impact Rating of Academic Journals in Economics: Ranking Criteria and Methodology. – Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast. Vol. 11. No. 3. P. 179-194. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15838/esc.2018.3.57.12

Upravlenie bol’shimi sistemami. Sbornik trudov. Spetsial’nyi vypusk 44 – Naukometriya i ekspertiza v upravlenii naukoi. [Management of Big Systems. Collected Works. Special Issue 44: Scientometrics and Expertise in the Management of Science. 2013. Ed. by D.A. Novikov, A.I. Orlov, P.Yu. Chebotarev. Moscow: IPU RAS. 568 p. (In Russ.)

Yurevich M.A. 2014. Methodological Problems of Assessing the Effectiveness of the Researcher. – Nauka. Innovatsii. Obrazovanie. No. 16. P. 28-41. (In Russ.)

Content No. 4, 2019