Scientometrics In the 1960s, particularly in Eastern Europe, the term“ scientometrics” was used to denote“ measurement of informatics process.” The term informatics was then widely used to mean“ documentation / information handling activities;” obviously, there is not much difference between bibliometrics of the West and the scientometrics of the East Europe. The term Scientometrics originated as a Russian term for the application of quantitative methods to the history of science, which studies the quantative aspects of science. It was suggested by Dolrov and Kormoni( 11), often used with same meaning as the bibliometrics to mean‘ the application of quantitative methods to history of science’. This term came into prominence with the founding of the journal named‘ Scientometrics’ by T. Braun in 1977, originally published in Hungary and currently from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Scientometrics used to mean communication process in science including socio-cultural aspects, and appears to be almost synonymous with science of science with more stress on its quantitative aspects. It is also used as a generic term for a system of knowledge, which endeavours to study the scientific( and technological) system by using a variety of approaches within the area of science and technology studies.
Scientometrics In the 1960s, particularly in Eastern Europe, the term“ scientometrics” was used to denote“ measurement of informatics process.” The term informatics was then widely used to mean“ documentation / information handling activities;” obviously, there is not much difference between bibliometrics of the West and the scientometrics of the East Europe. The term Scientometrics originated as a Russian term for the application of quantitative methods to the history of science, which studies the quantative aspects of science. It was suggested by Dolrov and Kormoni( 11), often used with same meaning as the bibliometrics to mean‘ the application of quantitative methods to history of science’. This term came into prominence with the founding of the journal named‘ Scientometrics’ by T. Braun in 1977, originally published in Hungary and currently from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Scientometrics used to mean communication process in science including socio-cultural aspects, and appears to be almost synonymous with science of science with more stress on its quantitative aspects. It is also used as a generic term for a system of knowledge, which endeavours to study the scientific( and technological) system by using a variety of approaches within the area of science and technology studies.
Scientometrics is concerned with the quantitative features and characteristics of science and scientific research. Emphasis is placed on investigations in which the development and mechanism of science are studied by statistical mathematical methods. Scientometrics is now considered as a part of the sociology of science and is applied to science policy making. Thus Scientometrics involves studies in: 1. Sociology of Science, 2. History of science, 3. Growth of literature 4. Behaviour of of scientists, 5. Science indicators, eyc.
Derek John de Solla Price( 22 January 1922 – 3 September 1983)( 24) was credited as the father of scientometrics. He was a physicist, a historian of science, an information scientist and worked as a teacher of applied mathematics at Raffles College( which was to become part of the University of Singapore in 1948). It was there that he formulated his theory on the exponential growth of science, an idea that occurred to him when he noticed the growth in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society between 1665 and 1850. – he had the complete set in his home while Raffles College had its library built. Further, Garfield ' s contribution( 14, 15) to scientometrics is quite significant; his contributions are evolved through his Science Citation Index. Merton also had his view on scientometrics; it is based on Mathew Effect.