Academies of Sciences in Western Europe: Analysis of Activities, Web Content, and Webometric Indicators

Abstract

This paper looks into issues associated with the Internet presence of the Academies of Sciences in several Western European countries. We identify the legal statuses of these academies and describe their administrative, financial, and informational interactions with government bodies, corporations, national and international scientific organizations, and individual researchers. A detailed analysis is conducted of the information posted on the websites of these academies, their interface features, language choices, available services, search engines, key webometric indicators, and newsletter mailing tools. Conclusions are drawn about the role of the websites of the academies in ensuring the availability and dissemination of science and technical information, including journal papers; about the creation of national and international scientific information space; and about the usefulness of these websites for Russian researchers.