Evaluating the effectiveness of scientometric indicators use in Russia’s science administration

Abstract

The article presents the results of research on the effectiveness of scientometric indicators use in science management in Russia (on the example of economic science in 2005-2018). The investigation rests on empirical base of publications indexed in the Russian science index. The author argues that the use of bibliometric indicators (in the form they appeared in government documents between 2009 and 2018) encourages the publication activity rather than actual scientific results. The paper offers the method to evaluate the effectiveness of a scientific paper differentiating the ways and effects of dissemination of scientific ideas in a scientific community. The method helped identify a significant increase in the overall number and the share of articles which do not influence further development of science (i.e. ineffective papers). The drop in the number of effective papers is accompanied by a significant cost rise, which also means a drop in effectiveness (3.9 times according to the empirical data).