The pandora's box of citation analysis: Measuring scientific excellence - The last evil?

This paper presents an overview of advanced bibliometric methods for object ive and transparent assessment of strengths and weaknesses in research perf ormance, and monitoring of scientific developments. In the first applicatio n, we focus on the detailed analysis of research performance from an intern ational comparative perspective. This type of analysis can be applied at di fferent levels of aggregation, but the institutional level is particularly crucial in the "search for excellence." We demonstrate that our recently de veloped indicators are very informative, despite the often poor but nonethe less dogged objections raised by opponents of bibliometric analysis. We con clude that advanced bibliometric methods are, particularly at the level of research groups (e.g., university departments and institutes) an indispensa ble element alongside peer review in the research evaluation process. In the second application, monitoring of scientific (basic and applied) dev elopments, recent advances in bibliometric mapping techniques show promise. They are unique instruments to discover patterns of scientific communicati on, processes of knowledge dissemination, and the structural dynamics of sc ientific developments. We discuss "bibliometric cartography" briefly and in dicate its potential for unraveling multidisciplinary developments and inte rfaces between science and technology. This is important, as we know that t he multidisciplinary crossroads of basic and applied scientific fields are often the loci of discovery and technological innovation. We present recent, practical examples. Advanced bibliometric methods have n ow come to a stage of providing excitement instead of "just easy data." The y are becoming, in addition to their intrinsic value for the study of scien ce and technology, a more and more important branch of information technolo gy.