Bibliometrics

My work on bibliometric measures is also related to my work as an Edition-in-Chief for Applied Surface Sciences as well as my work as a dean (deans are by Dutch law ultimately responsible for research and teaching within a faculty). The Dutch government was very early in the adaptation of benchmark numbers based on bibliometric measures (citations per article, 1/2 life of citations, impact factors etc) for usage in research evaluations. This emphasis on bibliometric values has to some extend been abandoned, since it is now commonly accepted, that these benchmark numbers are very different for different disciplines. It has also been recognized, that it has lead to strategic behavior among the scientists. In this presentation I will cover a bit of the history of bibliometric measures, then the journal based (e.g. impact factor), the article based (citation rate) and the author based (h-index). I can also gear this presentation more towards "decision makers" within the university and/or funding agencies. Indirectly, I will also show, how some of these measures can be influenced. It is important to publish your work in a journal with a high impact factor. However, the chance that your submission will receive a lot of citations is not very big. So what is the best journal for your submission?