A Critical Look At The Researchgate Score As A Measure Of Scientific Reputation

In this paper, we present an assessment of the ResearchGate score as a measure of a researcher’s scientific reputation. This assessment is based on well-established bibliometric guidelines for research metrics. In our evaluation, we find that the ResearchGate Score has three serious shortcomings: (1) the score is intransparent and irreproducible, (2) the score incorporates the journal impact factor to evaluate individual researchers, and (3) changes in the score cannot be reconstructed. Therefore, we conclude that the ResearchGate Score should not be considered in the evaluation of academics in its current form.

Related Organizations

Know Center
Austria
Graz University of Technology
Austria

Keywords

Bibliometrics, Composite Indicators, Science 2.0, ResearchGate, Journal Impact Factor, Evaluation, Reproducibility

Impact byBIP!

	selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).	5
	popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.	Average
	influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).	Average
	impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.	Average