nep-sog New Economics Papers
on Sociology of Economics
Issue of 2018‒02‒26
two papers chosen by
Jonas Holmström
Axventure AB

  1. The Micro-Geography of Academic Research:How Distinctive is Economics? By John Gibson
  2. Pros and cons of the impact factor in a rapidly changing digital world By Michael McAleer; Judit Oláh; József Popp

  1. By: John Gibson (University of Waikato)
    Abstract: This study examines micro-geographic clustering of academic research, focusing on economics. Three U.S. ZIP codes are associated with articles in the top five economics journals that garnered one-half of all citations to the articles published in these journals over 2000 to 2015. This remarkable degree of micro-geographic concentration is not apparent in any other discipline. Outside of economics the top three ZIP codes are associated with just 12% of citations to their top five journals, on average. Concentration of citations to economics articles whose authors are associated with a few key ZIP codes has strengthened over time, even as it has weakened for other disciplines. This distinctively high level of spatial concentration in economics research is not consistent with hypotheses about disciplinary differences stemming from market forces or from reliance on research infrastructure located in specific locations.
    Keywords: citations; economics; micro-geography; scientometrics; spatial concentration
    JEL: A12 R12
    Date: 2018–02–21
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wai:econwp:18/03&r=sog
  2. By: Michael McAleer (Department of Quantitative Finance National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan and Econometric Institute Erasmus School of Economics Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Department of Quantitative Economics Complutense University of Madrid, Spain And Institute of Advanced Sciences Yokohama National University, Japan.); Judit Oláh (Faculty of Economics and Business Institute of Applied Informatics and Logistics University of Debrecen, Hungar.); József Popp (Faculty of Economics and Business Institute of Sectoral Economics and Methodology University of Debrecen, Hungary.)
    Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to present arguments for and against the use of the Impact Factor (IF) in a rapidly changing digital world. The paper discusses the calculation of IF, as well as the pros and cons of IF. Editorial policies that affect IF are examined, and the merits of open access online publishing are presented. Scientific quality and the IF dilemma are analysed, and alternative measures of impact and quality are evaluated. The San Francisco declaration on research assessment is also discussed.
    Keywords: Impact Factor, Quality of research, Pros and Cons, Implications, Digital world, Editorial policies, Open access online publishing, SCIE, SSCI.
    JEL: O34 O31 D02
    Date: 2018–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ucm:doicae:1806&r=sog

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