Google Scholar and other systems for indexing scientometric indicators used by belarusian universities

Abstract

Aim . To compare the effectiveness of evaluating the publication activity of organizations and authors by such indexing systems as Google Scholar, Scopus and RINTS, as well as to assess the reliability and credibility of these indexing systems in terms of measuring research performance. On the basis of this information, the reliability of the systems currently used to rank Belarusian universities, in particular the University of Grodno, was estimated. Methods . This article analyses and compares the effectiveness of various indexing systems, which is extremely relevant due to the widespread use of the Google Scholar, Scopus, and RINTS indexing systems in Belarus. Results . The general characteristics of the above-mentioned indexing systems and their significance in assessing the research performance of university staff are given. A comparative assessment of the indexing systems was carried out, including their specific features, advantages and disadvantages. The conducted analysis of the ideology and mechanism of indexing research data using Google Scholar proved the unreliability and inconsistency of this approach for evaluating research performance, as well as the fallacy of adopting this system for evaluating the publication activity of university staff. Conclusion . The analysis of the Russian Science Citation Index (RINTS) also revealed significant imperfections. However, the use of RINTS does provide a fairly objective comprehensive assessment of the publication activity of authors and organizations. In addition, RINTS enables an analysis of the structure of indicators, which is completely impossible using Google Scholar and Scopus.