Journal Articles

If Robert Merton said it, it must be true: A citation analysis in the field of performance measurement

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This article is inspired by the current attention paid to bibliometric methods in evaluating research relevance and impact. The logic behind the trend is examined by comparing highly and less cited publications in the same knowledge field (i.e. performance measurement) to see if and how they are different, especially in terms of research design and methods used. Findings indicate that various research designs and methods are equally represented among highly and less highly cited works, and that the only feature that does seem to play a role is if the cited author is an internationally renowned scholar. Findings also indicate an indiscriminate use of citation where the quality and relevance of secondary data are taken for granted. A vague hint of something, found in a single case study or inferred from a purely theoretical work, may thus over time and with more citations added become universal fact or even ‘evidence’.

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Detail Information

Series Title

Evaluation

Call Number

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Publisher

Thousand Oak : sage publisher., 2011

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

13563890

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Vol. 17 no. 1, January 2011.pp. 7-19

Subject(s)

Performance measurement
Evidence
If Robert Merton said it, it must be true
Research impact
Citation counts

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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