The Standardized Bibliometric Report: Increasing Efficiency, Engagement, and Educational Opportunities Through Standardization

Abstract

Administrators for research groups and academic departments have a strong interest in bibliometric reporting, but the ever-expanding list of potential bibliometric indicators can make impact assessment feel overwhelming. Libraries are increasingly looking for ways to help support research assessment, but limited resources make it unrealistic for most to offer fully customized reporting services. Designing a standardized bibliometric report is one way for libraries to help bridge this gap. By pre-selecting a variety of key indicators and utilizing database-integrated name disambiguation tools, libraries can greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to produce in-depth and polished reports for research groups of any size. A standardized report also significantly lowers the bar for stakeholder engagement with bibliometric indicators and provides an excellent opportunity for libraries to take the lead on educating research groups on the strengths, weaknesses, and ethical uses of individual indicators. In this presentation, I will describe the development of a standardized bibliometric report for research groups within McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. I will explain key aspects of my workflow and discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing this style of reporting within the library.