Indicatori bibliometrici e sociologia italiana

• Main Author: Mario Diani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rosenberg & Sellier 2008-08-01
• Series: Quaderni di Sociologia
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/qds/868

Over the years, Italian sociology has shown considerable resistance to the use of bibliometric indicators for the purpose of performance evaluation and career progression. And yet, empirical evidence suggests that such indicators somehow capture differences between academic ranks even in a professional community like the Italian one, that has often been charged for indifference to scientific performance in its evaluation procedures. The analysis of different types of data sources such as Social Science Citation Index, Sociological Abstrcts and Scholar Google for faculty members in Sociology at Trento University shows strong correlations between all indicators. An analysis of professors at allranks in the disciplinary subsector General Sociology, and of full professors in all sociolog cal subsectors, based on the h-index derived from Scholar Google data only, also shows remarkable consistency in its outcomes. It is concluded that, while one should by no means refer only or even primarily to bibliometric criteria, they would still provide a useful reference point for decisions on appointments and promotions.