Scientometrics 2.0 : Scientific Reputation and Networking

This presentation gives an overview of a project focused on the relational dimension of impact measurement at the University of St.Gallen. We carry out a social network analysis of HSG researchers' on the academic social network site ResearchGate (N=302). We first present a descriptive analysis of the follower network and reveal high homophily, low density and skewed degree distributions. Individuals' network centrality on ResarchGate is then compared with other indicators of scientic impact, namely publication success (h-index), seniority, and the resonance of publications on academic platforms (Mendeley, citeulike) as well as platforms geared towards broader audiences (Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia). Results indicate that network centrality is weakly but significantly correlated with publication success. The resonance of publications on academic platforms is strongly correlated with publication success, while mentions on non-academic platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia) are rare but moderately correlated with publication success.