Scientometrics OR Bibliometrics?

Research thoughts bite 01.

Key takeaway:

• Bibliometrics, originating from library science, focuses on the analysis of scholarly documents.

• Scientometrics, rooted in the sociology of science, examines broader aspects of research activity.

A recent publication frequently employs the phrase "bibliometric and scientometric analysis" without clearly delineating between the two approaches. This new Research data bite aims to explore the distinctions between bibliometrics and scientometrics.

Usage and Prevalence

To begin, let’s have a look at the respective use of the phrase in publications in Dimensions:

Our analysis reveals:

• "Bibliometric" is the predominant term across all publications.

• There's a small but noticeable overlap where both terms appear in the same publication.

• Disciplinary differences emerge: 

  • Bibliometrics is more prevalent in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; this is consistent with the high number of studies looking at top articles in diverse fields of medicine, and where bibliometric is used as a tool

  • Scientometrics shows relatively higher usage in Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences; this is consistent with the nature of analyses in scientometrics, often relying in computer-aided methodologies 

Concepts

The concept networks available on the Landscape & Discovery dashboard offer further insights:

Bibliometrics represents a larger corpus, which focuses on bibliometric analysis, and demonstrates greater homogeneity, with many concepts having a median publication year of 2023. Outdated concepts (with a median publication year earlier than 2020) include Journal Citation Report and Impact Factor. The larger node below machine learning is artificial intelligence, with a median publication year of 2023, showing the constant interest for the concept, along with machine learning, neural network, and natural language processing.

Scientometrics on the other hand encompasses a broader range of concepts, but also greater dynamism with many outdated concepts include natural language processing, co-authorship, and bibliometric analysis. There seem to be a shift towards artificial intelligence, deep learning and citation impact.

Complex Humanities, Precise Science

While there is clear overlap between bibliometrics and scientometrics, key distinctions emerge:

• Focus 

  • Bibliometrics concentrates on citation analysis, co-citation networks, and research output evaluation. It relies heavily on established databases and metrics. 

  • Scientometrics explores wider areas, including the societal and interdisciplinary impact of research, funding and innovation systems, and research community evaluation across various fields.

• Application

  • Bibliometrics is primarily used for research evaluation, journal impact analysis, and performance metrics. 

  • Scientometrics is applied more broadly to study the science system, including the sociology of science, innovation studies, and the overall impact of research on society.

• Adoption

  • Bibliometrics has become a tool across various research fields, particularly in health sciences (there was a notable increase of bibliometric publications at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic)

  • While scientometrics maintains a more specialised focus.

Conclusion

While bibliometrics offers a focused lens on scholarly output, scientometrics provides a broader perspective on the research ecosystem.