How to Select Better Topics and Design Better Bibliometrics and Scientometrics Studies: A Perspective

This paper highlights some of the weaknesses of many bibliometrics and scientometrics studies published today and offers guidance on how to better select topics and analyses to perform in these studies. Bibliometricians should focus on topics with which they already are familiar or for which they have specialized knowledge. Analyses that are performed should be selected based on the knowledge that will be most relevant to the researchers in the subject areas in informing their work. Bibliometricians should always ensure that their work aligns with the stated aims and scope of the journal to which they are submitting and ensure that the manuscript is properly formatted according to the journal’s specifications. By taking a more measured approach to the design of their studies, the quality and reputation of scientometrics research may be greatly improved on the global scale.