Subject: Re: CCL:QC journals 'in trouble' (fwd)

From: Pisanty Baruch Alejandro-FQ <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 12:45:45 -0600 (CST)

Dear Patrick and all,

let's be brief since this is not a mainstream CCL topic. Patrick's
original mail on impact factors shows the fundamental illness of
bibliometric research for all its claims of objectivity. 

The fact is that the impact factors are skewed in favor of secondary
sources which aggregate the results of a number of original papers. That
is why even JACS and other major, highly respected and highly quoted
journals don't make it to the top, whereas all forms of reviews do. This
is not meant to disparage reviews! - just to add perspective, recognizing
that some of the very major journals are also in the top.

Specialized knowledge gets lost in this turmoil. Whether it be theoretical
chemistry or tannery, specialized journals just don't cut it for
bibliometers. Yet bibliometry is most surely here to stay and, as Patrick
makes it clear, is a well established church with dogmas and rituals which
will not move.

So my way of thinking is along Jaime Martell's last line: tune policy,
personalize assessments of researchers (we ARE persons!), and abandon all 
pretense of objectivity and generality coming from bibliometric research
when applied to evaluating people.

Alejandro Pisanty

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     Dr. Alejandro Pisanty, 
     Director General de Servicios de Computo Academico
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     Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM)
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