Responsible Bibliometrics Needs to Start from Open Research Information: Opportunities for the Indian Research System

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

Abstract

Bibliometric indicators play an important role in decision-making across research systems in many countries. If science policy and research assessment are to rely on these indicators, it is crucial to scrutinize the quality of the underlying data. While current research assessment reforms have rightly highlighted the limitations of bibliometric indicators, considerably less attention has been paid to the data infrastructures on which these indicators depend. This commentary argues that proprietary bibliographic databases, such as Web of Science and Scopus, raise fundamental concerns regarding transparency, reproducibility, inclusiveness, and affordability. These concerns are particularly relevant in the Indian context, where bibliometric indicators play a central role in research evaluation, university rankings, and funding decisions. We therefore argue that the data infrastructures underpinning bibliometric analyses require greater scrutiny and that a transition towards open research information is essential to enable the Indian research system to benefit from transparent, reproducible, and inclusive research evaluation systems that better support responsible science policy.

Authors 2

1. Moumita Koley

   Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

   Affiliation as printed

   Research on Research Institution

   Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

2. Ludo Waltman Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University