On the Value of a Scientific Document. Part 1

Abstract

The author considers the terminological confusion associated with designations of properties of scientific documents represented by their citation rate. Once again, we argue in favor of the statement that the citedness of research documents directly represents their use, which in turn represents their value. The need to continue the relevant polemic and strengthen the argumentation is caused by the fact that many experts either do not associate citedness with value or are indifferent to the issue of properties of documents represented by citation rate. Also, many bibliometricians confuse value of documents with their quality. Moreover, there is a point of view according to which the use is only one of the factors that cause citations to scientific documents; while just addressing to documents is considered, on the contrary, as an undoubted evidence of their use – though in this case it remains unknown whether the full text of the retrieved document has been at least briefly reviewed by the user. The article gives critical consideration to these issues. The opinion is expressed that a certain misunderstanding of the concept “use of a document” is due to its involuntary confusion with the traditional library concept “use of a library stock”. It is also shown that taking the philosophical notion of value for consideration can add even more confusion to the terminology used to denote the properties of a scientific document that are represented by its citation rate par excellence. Some definitions of the concept “document’s value” that circulate in contemporary library science are critically analyzed. Accordingly, the author makes an attempt to clarify the concepts and content of the terms “value of a scientific document” and “use of a scientific document”. Specifically, the present first part of this work contains mainly examples and criticism of the terminological confusion about the designation of the properties of a scientific document represented by its citedness and use. They are considered through the prism of the unspecified concepts of value and quality of a research document. The author used them before completing his work on the second part of this article. It will elaborate and specify the concept of value of a scientific document.