The Evaluation of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities : Lessons From the Italian Experience

This book examines very important issues in research evaluation in the Social Sciences and Humanities. It is based on recent experiences carried out in Italy (2011-2015) in the fields of research assessment, peer review, journal classification, and construction of indicators, and presents a systematic review of theoretical issues influencing the evaluation of Social Sciences and Humanities. Several chapters analyse original data made available through research assessment exercises. Other chapters are the result of dedicated and independent research carried out in 2014-2015 aimed at addressing some of the debated and open issues, for example in the evaluation of books, the use of Library Catalog Analysis or Google Scholar, the definition of research quality criteria on internationalization, as well as opening the way to innovative indicators. The book is therefore a timely and important contribution to the international debate. .-- Provided by publisher Front Matter ....Pages i-xx Towards an Epistemic Approach to Evaluation in SSH (Andrea Bonaccorsi)....Pages 1-29 Front Matter ....Pages 31-31 Mapping the Role of the Book in Evaluation at the Individual and Department Level in Italian SSH. A Multisource Analysis (Chiara Faggiolani, Giovanni Solimine)....Pages 33-53 Guidelines for Peer Review. A Survey of International Practices (Andrea Capaccioni, Giovanna Spina)....Pages 55-69 Peer Review in Social Sciences and Humanities. Addressing the Interpretation of Quality Criteria (Andrea Bonaccorsi)....Pages 71-101 Research Quality Evaluation: The Case of Legal Studies (Ginevra Peruginelli, Sebastiano Faro)....Pages 103-129 Front Matter ....Pages 131-131 More, Less or Better: The Problem of Evaluating Books in SSH Research (Geoffrey Williams, Antonella Basso, Ioana Galleron, Tiziana Lippiello)....Pages 133-158 Research Quality Criteria in the Evaluation of Books (Carla Basili, Luca Lanzillo)....Pages 159-184 Quality Evaluation of Online Library Catalogues, Advanced Discovery Tools and Linked Data Technologies (Maria Teresa Biagetti, Antonella Iacono, Antonella Trombone)....Pages 185-209 A Survey on Legal Research Monograph Evaluation in Italy (Ginevra Peruginelli, Sebastiano Faro, Tommaso Agnoloni)....Pages 211-230 Front Matter ....Pages 231-231 Publication Strategies in SSH: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications (Domenica Fioredistella Iezzi)....Pages 233-251 Journal Ratings as Predictors of Article Quality in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: An Analysis Based on the Italian Research Evaluation Exercise (Andrea Bonaccorsi, Antonio Ferrara, Marco Malgarini)....Pages 253-267 Front Matter ....Pages 269-269 Google Scholar as a Citation Database for Non-bibliometric Areas: The EVA Project Results (Alfio Ferrara, Stefano Montanelli, Stefano Verzillo)....Pages 271-293 Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Google Scholar Indicators. The Case of Social Sciences in Italy (Ferruccio Biolcati-Rinaldi, Francesco Molteni, Silvia Salini)....Pages 295-319 Is the Diffusion of Books in Library Holdings a Reliable Indicator in Research Assessment? (Maria Teresa Biagetti, Antonella Iacono, Antonella Trombone)....Pages 321-343 The Social Impact Assessment in Social Sciences and Humanities: Methodological Issues from the Italian Experience (Luca Lanzillo)....Pages 345-359 Do SSH Researchers Have a Third Mission (And Should They Have)? (Brigida Blasi, Sandra Romagnosi, Andrea Bonaccorsi)....Pages 361-392 Front Matter ....Pages 393-393 Language, Culture and Traversing the Scholarly Evaluation Landscape (Alesia Zuccala)....Pages 395-411 Back Matter ....Pages 413-416 Annotation This book examines very important issues in research evaluation in the Social Sciences and Humanities. It is based on recent experiences carried out in Italy (2011-2015) in the fields of research assessment, peer review, journal classification, and construction of indicators, and presents a systematic review of theoretical issues influencing the evaluation of Social Sciences and Humanities. Several chapters analyse original data made available through research assessment exercises. Other chapters are the result of dedicated and independent research carried out in 2014-2015 aimed at addressing some of the debated and open issues, for example in the evaluation of books, the use of Library Catalog Analysis or Google Scholar, the definition of research quality criteria on internationalization, as well as opening the way to innovative indicators. The book is therefore a timely and important contribution to the international debate