Article
The effect of Russian University Excellence Initiative on publications and collaboration patterns
The Russian University Excellence Initiative (Project 5-100) was initiated by the Government in 2013 to strengthen the positions of leading Russian universities at the global academic market (passive into active). We estimate the effect of this project on university publication activity with a special focus on the changes in the research output structure expressed in changes of quality and collaboration patterns. To do so, we use an econometric analysis of longitudinal data applying a linear growth model with mixed effects, with different characteristics of the research output as dependent variables. The dynamics of research collaborations were examined through university affiliations. We demonstrate that there is a significant positive effect of Project 5-100 on quantitative university research performance. That is, participating universities demonstrate a substantial, steady increase in publications measured in total numbers and per capita. We also show that the project has had a positive effect on publications in highest and lowest quality journals as well as on multi-authored publications. Participating universities have increased the number of publications (especially in high-quality journals) written in co-authorship with other organizations.
The article examines the status system of the local academic community of St. Petersburg sociologists. The list of most cited authors was obtained from citation analysis of selected Russian sociological journals. The results suggest that the status system is divided in isolated segments with few citation exchanges between different segments. Each part of the sociological community produces its own list of influentials. With a few exceptions there are no authors central for the whole community. Even the embeddedness of various segments in the same local space does not stimulate circulation of attention between different parts of the community.
This chapter examines bibliometric indicators related to citedness of journals, authors, research groups, institutions and whole countries. The introductory section deals with the basics of bibliometric analysis and features of citation databases. The author discusses the usage of various bibliometric indicators: the impact factor, average citedness, share of uncited papers, Eigenfactor and Article Infl uence Scores, Hirsch and Hirsch-type indices, and others. A special section investigates indicators of chronological distribution of references. Particular attention is paid to normalized indicators, including indicators normalized by research disciplines, as well as by publication sources. The fi nal section emphasizes the importance of informed and reasonable use of bibliometric indicators in research policy-making, funding allocation, and faculty and research personnel recruitment.
Proceedings of the International Society for Informetrics and Scientometrics Conference. Indexed in Web of Science and Scopus.
The importance of tertiary education for economic growth and competitiveness is increasingly recognized as critical not just for middle-income and advanced countries, but also for low-income ones. Access to a solid, world-class curriculum helps develop a skilled, productive, and flexible labor force that can positively influence productive activities by creating, applying, and spreading new ideas and technologies. Research universities are emerging as the central institutions of the 21st century knowledge economies.
The Road to Academic Excellence: The Making ofWorld-Class Research Universities extends the analysis of the framework presented in The Challenge of EstablishingWorld-Class Universities (Salmi 2009), examining the recent experience of 11 universities in 9 countries that have grappled with the challenges of building successful research institutions in difficult circumstances and presenting the lessons learned from these experiences. This report will be of interest to policy makers and tertiary education leaders considering reforms and innovations to improve their country's position in the global scene.
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