The publication output and impact of academic chemistry research in the Netherlands during the 1980s: bibliometric analyses and policy implications

Abstract

This paper presents a bibliometric assessment of the output and impact of the research activities in the field of chemistry at universities in the Netherlands during the period 1980–1991. It analyses the position of the Netherlands Foundation for Chemical Research (SON), which is a subsidiary of the Netherlands research council NWO. The methodology applied in the study represents a synthesis of ‘classical’ macro inicator studies on the one hand, and bibliometric analyses of research groups and subfields at the micro- or meso-level on the other. We found that academic chemical research in the Netherlands has gained a high impact compared with a world average, and that the chemists tend to publish in high impact journals as well. The highest impact is achieved by papers that were written in collaboration with scientists from groups outside the Netherlands, indicating that the Dutch chemists play an important role in international scientific networks. There is a significant correlation between a group's bibliometric impact and the financial support obtained from SON. We discuss several aspects of this correlation in more detail, and draw conclusions with respect to the usefulness of bibliometric analyses and implications for research policy.