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A avaliação bibliométrica de instituições de pesquisa para além da comunicação científica: o caso Embrapa

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Figura 1 – Balanço Social da Embrapa

En les últimes dècades, el sorgiment de les noves tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació ha comportat l’ampliació dels estudis bibliomètrics més enllà dels productes de la comunicació científica (articles, ressenyes, etc.) amb la incorporació de l’anàlisi d’altres continguts (pàgines web, repositoris de publicacions tècniques, apunts en xarxes socials, etc.), per mitjà de l’analítica web i de la bibliometria alternativa. Aquest treball presenta les implicacions d’aquest canvi per a l’Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), que els últims anys ha passat a tenir en compte, en el seu sistema d’avaluació del rendiment, el nombre de citacions d’articles científics i el nombre de descàrregues de publicacions tècniques disponibles en el seu portal d’Internet. Com es pot veure en aquest article, els 42 centres de recerca de la institució presenten comportaments diferenciats pel que fa al rendiment en la producció exclusivament científica (nombre d’articles científics i de citacions) i en la producció tècnica (descàrregues de manuals, butlletins i altres publicacions). L’existència d’aquestes diferències està comportant que l’Embrapa consideri, en el seu sistema d’avaluació del rendiment, les particularitats dels seus centres de recerca, ja sigui en l’àmbit del procés de producció de coneixement i tecnologia, ja sigui en les formes de comunicació. A partir d’aquesta experiència, s’arriba a la conclusió que el desenvolupament d’indicadors bibliomètrics adequats per gestionar institucions d’ensenyament i recerca requereix una mirada àmplia, que tingui en compte els acords institucionals, els fluxos d’informació i la influència recíproca entre ciència i societat. — En las últimas décadas, el surgimiento de las nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación ha supuesto la ampliación de los estudios bibliométricos más allá de los productos de la comunicación científica (artículos, reseñas, etc.) con la incorporación del análisis de otros contenidos (páginas web, repositorios de publicaciones técnicas, apuntes en redes sociales, etc.), por medio de la analítica web y de la bibliometría alternativa. Este trabajo presenta las implicaciones de este cambio para la empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), que en los últimos años ha pasado a tener en cuenta, en su sistema de evaluación del rendimiento, el número de citas de artículos científicos y el número de descargas de publicaciones técnicas disponibles en su portal de Internet. Como se puede ver en este artículo, los 42 centros de investigación de la institución presentan comportamientos diferenciados en cuanto a su rendimiento en la producción exclusivamente científica (número de artículos científicos y de citas) y en la producción técnica (descargas de manuales, boletines y otras publicaciones). La existencia de estas diferencias está comportando que la Embrapa considere, en su sistema de evaluación del rendimiento, las particularidades de sus centros de investigación, ya sea en el ámbito del proceso de producción de conocimiento y tecnología, ya sea en las formas de comunicación. A partir de esta experiencia, se llega a la conclusión que el desarrollo de indicadores bibliométricos adecuados para la gestión de instituciones de enseñanza e investigación requiere una mirada amplia, que contemple los acuerdos institucionales, los flujos de información y la influencia recíproca entre ciencia y sociedad. — In recent decades, the emergence of new information and communication technologies has broadened the remit of bibliometric analysis. Bibliometrics are now used not only to assess products of scholarly communication such as articles or monographs, but to examine technology-related content such as web portals, repositories of technical publications or documents in social networks, which are studied with the help of web analytics and altmetrics. This paper examines the implications of this trend for the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), whose criteria for assessing institutional performance have been extended in recent years to include the number of citations of scientific articles and downloads of the technical publications made available at the corporation’s web portal. As the paper shows, Embrapa’s 42 research centres do not all follow the same pattern in the production of scientific articles and citations, on the one hand, and of technical documents on the other (measured by downloads of manuals, bulletins and other publications). For this reason, Embrapa is beginning to tailor its system of performance assessment to the particularities of each centre, whether these involve the way the centre produces knowledge and technology or how it channels scholarly communication. The paper concludes that the development of suitable bibliometric indicators for managing centres dedicated to research and education requires a broad view of the centres themselves and can take on board such varied factors as institutional agreements, information flows and the ways in which science and society influence each other. — Nas últimas décadas, a emergência das novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação levou à ampliação dos estudos bibliométricos para além dos produtos da Comunicação Científica (artigos, revisões, etc.) com a incorporação da análise de outros conteúdos (páginas da internet, repositórios de publicações técnicas, posts em mídias sociais, etc.), por intermédio da webometria e da altmetria. Este trabalho apresenta as implicações dessa mudança para a Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa), que passou a contemplar nos últimos anos, em seu sistema de avaliação de desempenho, o número de citações de artigos científicos e o número de downloads de publicações técnicas disponíveis em seu portal da internet. Como poderá ser observado neste artigo, os 42 centros de pesquisa da instituição apresentam comportamentos diferenciados quanto a seu desempenho na produção exclusivamente científica (número de artigos científicos e de citações) e na produção técnica (downloads de manuais, boletins e outras publicações). A existência dessas diferenças está levando a Embrapa a considerar em seu sistema de avaliação de desempenho as particularidades de seus centros de pesquisa, seja no âmbito de seu processo de produção de conhecimentos e tecnologias, seja em suas formas de comunicação. A partir dessa experiência, conclui-se que o desenvolvimento de indicadores bibliométricos adequados à gestão de instituições de ensino e pesquisa necessita de um olhar abrangente, que contemple os arranjos institucionais, os fluxos de informação, e a influência recíproca entre ciência e sociedade.

Examining the prospects of library use data integration in university information systems: the Spanish and Greek library stakeholder’s perspective

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Figura 1. Una imatge de la xarxa bibliomètrica sobre analítiques d'aprenentatge (VOSviewer - Leiden University)

Objective. To collect the richly textured viewpoints of academic librarians and students on obstacles to library integration in institutional information systems, namely student success technologies and learning analytics. The aim is to contribute with an initial set of recurring themes to baseline knowledge on Spanish and Greek public university libraries’ prospects of engaging in this new type of intervention.

Methodology. Interviews were conducted between June and November 2016 in two universities in Spain and Greece and were continuously cross-checked against current literature on the academic climate in an interdisciplinary approach. This process helped to effectively outline a conceptual framework for understanding organisational forces and operational issues that could affect the process of connecting library use data to wider student support systems.

Results. Interviewees’ feedback revealed that the practical difficulties involved in systematically tracking in-library student activity workflows and connecting them with campus-wide or even interinstitutional learning analytics initiatives are only some of the operationalisation challenges. Infrastructural capacity-related considerations, the professional development of librarians, user control and strong teacher bias concerns are all high on the stakeholder list of inhibitors that, if they are not tackled, could eventually jeopardize a co-creation and service innovation opportunity of unique value. Easiness of use, voluntariness and feedback were reported among the main criteria with which library data integration in learning analytics systems must comply. A change in data collection practices, the active pursuit of stakeholder engagement and the reconsideration of existing resources, namely infrastructures and funding, were also given as major strategic priorities for the successful implementation of this type of intervention.

Book Fairs in Catalonia: Historical Note and Attempt at Classification

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Figure 1. Chronological distribution of the appearance of book fairs in Catalonia

The aims of this paper are to offer a brief historical account of book fairs in Catalonia based on a review of documentary materials and to provide a broad outline of their variety and typology. The proposed classification is predicated on previous studies that have addressed the characteristics that identify different types of book fair. The results show some degree of proliferation in book fairs in recent years, reflecting an attempt to develop them as tools for economic and cultural promotion. Barcelona is the host city of a large number of the events, but they also take place in 16 other comarcas, or districts, of Catalonia. The vast majority have a regional geographical scope and are intended for the general public. Although there is a diversity of products across the fairs, the predominant focus is on new books generally, not specific subject matter. In terms of the management of the book fairs, cultural institutions are the leading group, but it is also common to find book-related guilds and public administrations in charge of the events.

Why bibliometric indicators break down: unstable parameters, incorrect models and irrelevant properties

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Figure 1. Relation between property and indicator. An indicator is a proxy to measure a property when there is a theoretical model that relates the property to the observations of the indicator.

The spread of bibliometric indicators in research evaluation and policy has been accompanied by an increasing realisation that indicators’ use is often problematic and/or inappropriate. In this article, we propose a parsimonious framework to analyse the conditions under which the use of indicators become problematic. We propose that indicators’ use in evaluation can breakdown for three reasons. First, because the parameters of the models linking properties and indicators are unstable and, as a consequence, indicators cannot be compared across spaces or time. Second, because the underlying models are incorrect. Third, because the property of the indicator is irrelevant for the issue examined. This framework can be particularly helpful in fostering an understanding of the problems of conventional indicators in

Evaluation criteria in Tourism and its effects on the researchers’ publication profile

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Objetivo: Analisar a influência dos critérios de avaliação no perfil de publicação dos pesquisadores de Turismo.

Metodologia: Análise dos critérios de avaliação da produção científica da área de Administração, Ciências Contábeis e Turismo, conduzido pela CAPES, com base nos documentos de área e na lista de periódicos classificados; e do perfil de publicação, por meio dos currículos Lattes dos pesquisadores dos programas de pós-graduação da área de Turismo.

Resultados: Os resultados apontam que os critérios de avaliação de periódicos da Administração, Ciências Contábeis e Turismo aumentaram sua dependência do Fator de Impacto JCR na transição dos triênios analisados. A determinação de critérios com base neste indicador reforça a hegemonia de grandes editoras comerciais, além de fazer com que os periódicos de Administração predominem nos estratos mais altos. O perfil de publicação dos pesquisadores de Turismo mostrou que: 61,2 % de sua produção se dão em periódicos da própria área, sendo cerca de 2/3 desta em periódicos domésticos; além de estar concentrada entre os estratos A2 a B3; e quando publicando em periódicos internacionais preferem o idioma espanhol, seguido do português. Passam a publicar em periódicos de Administração e Contabilidade a partir de 2013, predominando o idioma inglês; a primeira publicação no estrato A1 ocorre em periódico da área de Administração, no ano de 2014.

Professors’ perceptions of university students’ plagiarism: A literature review

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Figure 1: PRISMA flow chart for the selection of studies on professors’ perceptions of university students’ plagiarism.

Objectives: This paper aims to identify and critically evaluate the extant knowledge about professors’ perceptions of university students’ plagiarism. A clearer comprehension of these perceptions will allow us to forward the literature on this topic by pointing avenues for further research and policy.

Methodology: We explored professors’ perception of student plagiarism through an integrative literature review. To undertake this review, we searched the literature from 2000 to 2016 using a range of keyword combinations related to professors’ perception of plagiarism. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were implemented to choose abstracts and then full papers. In order to ensure the rigor of the review, we also employed a systematic analytical framework.
— Results: The twenty-two studies identified revealed greatly contrasting and uneven perceptions about students’ plagiarism among professors. Our findings indicate that it is necessary to focus not only on professors’ perceptions of what plagiarism is as a concept, but also to map to what extent this is an important, prevalent and severe issue for them. In the same vein, we highlight that such perceptions and the causes professors attribute to the reasons why students plagiarise may have a strong relationship with the actions they ultimate undertake to deal with this issue. Finally, we reflect on the additional problems caused by inconsistent implementation of responses to plagiarism at all academic levels.

A Not-So-Brief Account of Current Information Ethics: The Ethics of Ignorance, Missing Information, Misinformation, Disinformation and Other Forms of Deception or Incompetence

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Objectives: The article examines how the new technologies and the internet have given society greater access to information and knowledge but have also led to a major increase in false information and lies, which constitute a serious threat to information ethics. —
Methodology: The author offers a taxonomy to describe the most common types of false information (misinformation, disinformation, missing information and self-deception) and information calumny, using examples in contemporary North American politics and information media and focusing on the figures of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The article analyses the role public institutions and information professionals should adopt to face the situation.

Results: While they cannot themselves possess the truth, in order to combat false information and ignorance information professionals must remain alert to the dangers present, keep abreast of the demands of their profession, be competent and informed and promote society’s information literacy at individual and collective levels.

Intellectual Freedom as a Human Right : The Library’s Role in a Democratic Society

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Objective: Libraries have been called on by international organizations to avoid censorship and to provide access to diverse points of view. Public libraries are partially defined by their unrestricted services to patrons regardless of a person’s nationality, social status, or beliefs.

Methodology: This article will review the documents that describe the role libraries have in providing and protecting intellectual freedom. Specific organizations, educational practices, ethical statements, and polices in the United States will be reviewed.

Results: Librarians in all library types (academic, school, public, and special libraries) need to create and maintain two important policies for their libraries in order to protect against censorship. These policies are a collection development policy and a request for reconsideration policy.

Fansubbing from Spanish to Chinese: organization, roles and norms in collaborative writing

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Composition of the community (own elaboration)

Objective. This paper documents and analyzes how the members of an online community of fansubbers collaborate to subtitle Hispanic series and films in Chinese. In order to understand how this community organizes itself on the Internet to satisfactorily complete such a complex multimodal and multilingual process, the paper focuses on the community members’ roles and chain of production, the virtual spaces in which they work, their self-regulation strategies and the ethical issues they face.

Methodology. The authors used qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis of a corpus composed with the help of netnographic techniques, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and field notes.

Results. The community was found to have a hierarchical structure, where a small group of managing members coordinated the others, who completed different tasks (e.g., transcription, synchronization, translation) in the overall collaborative project. The community took advantage of existing virtual spaces (e.g., official forums, social networks, online chats) to organize and promote its work and to develop a complete system of self-regulation, from recruitment to further training and evaluation with performance management. The authors conclude that fansubbers are cautious volunteers who make their own rules to protect and legitimize their community, which consists of freelance translators and technicians who are amateurs but who take their work seriously. These volunteers collaborate efficiently on the Internet, maintaining strict quality standards in their subtitling, and are supported by active audiences. Empowered in the digital age, this community is revolutionizing traditional modalities of reading and writing, recreating media products in an original way to meet the emerging needs of viewers

“Translation by fans for fans”: organization and practices in a Spanish-language community of scanlation

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Figura 1. Captura de Shiro mentre neteja una pàgina.

Objective: To describe the organization and literacy practices of a Spanish-speaking scanlation community (a group of fans who collaborate on the Internet to scan, translate and distribute mangas) by examining the community members’ roles and activities, the online environments in which they work and the resources they use.

Methodology: The study employed cyberethnographic techniques to create and analyse a database comprising 97 videos of onscreen activity, 32 transcripts of comments drawn from Facebook, blogs, forums and chats, 96 scanned manga chapters and, finally, six semi-structured interviews.

Results: The scanlation community in question assigned its members specific roles (of cleaning, translating, typesetting or correcting) and the members worked in a variety of online environments (email, Facebook, forums and chats). Members interacted to negotiate the development of projects, troubleshoot and exchange knowledge and expertise. Their literacy practices were regulated by the shared culture of scanlation communities as these exist worldwide, evidenced in the existence of a set of ethical standards, a common repertory of tools (translators, dictionaries, inventories of fonts, etc.) and a series of specific, socially valued semiotic practices (such as maintaining Japanese honorific suffixes in translations). This sophisticated level of organization challenges the notion that the cultural products of these vernacular and plurilingual practices are merely the result of their individual members’ creativity or of the spontaneous collaboration between them.