From the preface: The present book is based on the study entitled "An Investigation into the Literature use Pattern of Researches in Chemistry: a Bibliometric Study". It attempts to identify the selected characteristic of literature use in the field of Chemistry by Indian Scientists. It may, therefore, be regarded as a significant contribution to the field of bibliometrics.
Field of chemistry was chosen for this study because research worker herself is a graduate in chemistry and is keenly interested in providing help to researchers in this field, secondly, it is subject with vast application and plays a central role in modern society, furthermore, subject shows interdisciplinary nature and it has a profound impact on other fields of science. Chemical products are essential if the world's population is to be clothed, housed and fed. The world's reserve of fossil fuels will eventually be exhausted and new chemical processes and materials will provide a crucial alternative energy source. At present there are many environmental issues which have grown in size and complexity day by day, threatening the survival of mankind on earth. These issues can be best handled in their chemical perspective. Much research is being done in this discipline and much more is needed. It is here, that bibliometrics helps the researchers in selecting quality-journal, article, author, etc. This study is a step ahead in bibliometrics. The application of systematic technique for data collection, their analysis and presentation based on scientific methods of tables and diagrams further add to its value.
The book deals with bibliometrics, its advantages, and applications. It discusses in detail about citation analysis, which is a well known bibliometric technique. Bibliometrics with all its ramifications, terms analogous to it, and its offshoot web metrics has been dealt in this book. |
